


The Captain and the Doctor Prompts

by EmpireMurderer



Series: The Captain and the Doctor [3]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-04-14 16:34:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14140047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpireMurderer/pseuds/EmpireMurderer
Summary: More reasons to jump right into smut.  Smut finally posted.These are just a bunch of prompts I had in my head that were itching to be put down on paper.  They range in mild fluff to outright violence and/or sex.These are from The Captain and the Doctor series.  Some won't need any explanation but others make use of the diverged universe I made up in the previous stories.





	1. Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> For those that don't want to go back to the source, just know that the history is not canon at all and that I gave the Captain the completely unoriginal name of Brienne Tarth because it sounded like a plausible name out of the Star Wars universe and also out of pure laziness. 
> 
> Chapter 1: Rated G  
> Chapter 2: Rated T for violence  
> Chapter 3: Rated T for sexiness  
> Chapter 4: Rated T for implied sexiness  
> Chapter 5: Rated E for sex  
> Chapter 6: Rated G  
> Chapter 7: Rated T for slight violence  
> Chapter 8: Rated G  
> Chapter 9: Rated T for language and implied sex  
> Chapter 10: Rated M for language and implied sex  
> Chapter 11: Rated T for slight violence  
> Chapter 12: Rated T for pulling buckshot out of someone's buttcheeks  
> Chapter 13: Rated G  
> Chapter 14: Rated G  
> Chapter 15: Rated M for mid-sex cock-blocking

**Birthday**

 

“Do you know what day you were born?”  Nash asked Brienne.  They were sitting in their quarters, Brienne was eating breakfast before heading to the training room aboard the _Nautilus_.  They had picked up three new crew members and Brienne wanted to break them in.

“No.”  She answered, not even looking up from her datapad, a piece of toast flaking out of her mouth.

“Do you know how old you are?”  Nash continued her inquiry.

“After my first physical, the First Order informed me I was somewhere between seventeen and twenty two years of age.”

“Five year gap.  That’s a little wide.  That puts you at about thirty-three to thirty-eight now.”

“Why are you suddenly curious?”

“Aren’t you?”

“No.”

“Of course not.”

“This might be one of those things you have more interest in.  I’ve never wondered about it.”  Brienne dismissed.

“What date did you put down on your First Order paperwork?”

“Brendol had me put down the first day of the first month.  He also told me to just say I was twenty because it was easy for him to remember.”

“Ah.  Do you know roughly what day you were born though?”  Nash asked, knowing she was about to cross a line from curious to annoying.  Brienne set down her pad and stared at Nash.

“You’re not going to get me presents or sing me songs or-…”

“No, of course not.”  Nash responded.  “I just like to know things about you.”

“Yes, you’ve said so before.  I admit I understand the sentiment.”  Brienne replied, having grilled Nash the day before about what she thought of how her cape was worn.  ‘To the side or all the way to the back?’ Brienne had asked, adjusting as she asked.  ‘It doesn’t matter!’ Nash had said until she finally relented and just said to wear it to the side.

“Do you have an idea what month you were born?”

“No, though I know I was born during the rainy season on Parnassos, which coincides with the eighth, ninth and tenth month of the galactic standard calendar.”

“Ah, that at least narrows it down.”

“That’s only ninety-four days to figure out when I was born.”  Brienne said, returning to her datapad.

“Will you let me designate a day as your birthday?”

“If you’d like but I don’t see the point.  It’s not something I would celebrate.”

“Then it’s going to be the third day of the ninth month.”  Nash stated.

“If you wish.”  Brienne answered though Nash could tell she had no intention of remembering the day.  There was a moment while Brienne continued to eat her breakfast in silence before she stopped and looked blankly into space.

“Isn’t that the day you thought I was leaving __Starkiller__?”  She inquired.  Nash knew Brienne’s photographic memory would serve her.

“Is it?  Huh.  What a nice coincidence.”  Nash smiled.  She was aware of Brienne staring at her, looking for awareness on Nash’s part.  When Nash shot her a teasing look, Brienne’s lip slightly curled up in a grin.

“Okay then.  The third day of the ninth month.”  Brienne confirmed, more willing to name a day now that there was significance attached to it.

“I can’t wait to buy you presents and sing you songs and-…”

“DON’T.”


	2. Kidnapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some are brave/stupid enough to take what belongs to the Captain.

**Kidnapped**

 

“If you want your wife to avoid a slow, painful death, come on your own, no weapons, no armor, no helmet.  You have one hour.”

“They’re going to kill you!  Don’t come for me!”  Nash managed to shout out before the feed went blank.  The screen on the cockpit went back to it’s dark starry expanse, showing the void of space outside the __Nautilus__.

There were seven people on the bridge.  Basta, Price, Willis, Corrin, Zee, York, and the Captain.  Everyone glanced in the corner of their eyes at the Captain who stood grounded in the middle of the cockpit, iron stance, arms straight to her side, wearing the black uniform Nash had made for her.  Corrin was the furthest from the Captain but even she could hear the pull of her black leather gloves as she balled her fists angrily.  For once she was glad she didn’t know what the Captain looked like, had never seen that face to wonder what the flash of rage in her eyes or the grit of her teeth would look like beneath that cold, black helmet.  There was a horrible silence that settled inside the large room.  No one wanted to be the first to speak.

Everyone was suddenly surprised when the Captain turned to the holotable and swiped her hand across it, causing all the contents to go flying across the room.  No one moved during her uncharacteristic show of emotion, while she punched her fist into a monitor and the controls.  She then yanked a chair out of its floor sockets and hurled it at a console, both erupting in a burst of flame followed by electrical snapping.

They all knew what she was thinking.  The Bontangas were going to kill Nash Lyoka anyway, that is if she wasn’t already dead.  Most of them had seen the Captain handle anything with little reaction; war, death, birth, loss of equipment, inheritance of a fortune, theft of credits, taunting, praise, intense pain, hunger anything that would cause a person to be highly emotive, but they’d never seen her in a rage before and it was as scary and intimidating as they all thought it could be.

The Captain stood panting after her tantrum, her posture like a wild animal ready to go into battle.  There was only one person that dared say anything and that was Zee, who everyone called Tech Guy.

“I’ve got a plan, Captain.”  He said.  “But it’s pretty risky.”

 

 

Nash was strapped to some kind of torture apparatus.  There were gadgets surrounding her that even as a doctor she didn’t know what they were for.  She suspected Brienne might though.

“If your wife doesn’t pull through,”  The Bontanga crewman began.  “Then you and this little guy are going to become quite intimate.”  He laughed, holding up a scary corkscrew looking thing.  He then made a jab motion upwards in the air.  “You’ll be making beautiful spiral babies.”

“Don’t do that now, Glip.”  Another crewman, much less uglier than the other, told him.  He was leaning up against the wall of the room looking rather bored.  “Save your energy for Captain Phasma.”

“Shut up, Freckles.  There’s no way the rest of the crew will let me get a hook into her before they kill her.”  Glip replied in irritation.  “She’s as good as dead before she gets aboard the ship.”

“Nah, expect a fight from her.  I guarantee you she’ll kill five people before she’s subdued.”

“Five?”

“Yeah, five, at least.”  Freckles nodded.

“You’re on.”

“A hundred credits?”

“Same as always.”

“Can I get in on this?”  Nash asked.  “A hundred credits says she’ll kill you all.”

“What?”  Glip roared in laughter.  “You think she’s going to take out a ship of eighty-two men?  I’ll wager the Captain is good but no one is that good.”

“You have a lot of faith in your wife.”  Freckles smirked.

“Not really.  A thousand credits says she doesn’t show.”  Nash retorted.  They both looked to her in perplexity, glancing at each other before looking again.

“Why wouldn’t she show?”

“She doesn’t like weaknesses.  By taking me you have now exposed one and the best thing for her to do is cut it off.”  Nash answered.

“That’s fucked up.”  Freckles replied.  “Who does that shit?”

“It’s how she’s survived.”

“Yeah, well, what kind of life is that?”

“Hmm…you better hope she comes for you.”  Glip said.  “Or you’ll be telling us everything you know.  Or rather screaming.”

“If she doesn’t come for me, why would you have to torture me?  I’ll just tell you.”

“Oh, c’mon, I don’t usually have opportunity to torture people you know.  Most of the time they end up dead before I can get them in the chair.”  Glip said, waving his arm at the table Nash was strapped to.

“Oh, sorry.  Maybe I’ll let you point a gun at me and I’ll pretend that made me talk.”

“Ummm….”  Glip looked up to the ceiling, gauging the worth of her statement.  “All right.”

 

 

“That was good enough.”  Zee said as he looked back over the video.  “It’s rushed so I don’t think they’ll notice anything.”

“Just put it in the message feed,”  The Captain replied, feeling a little sheepish.  Acting was not in her skill set.  Willis, Basta, Zee and York all followed her to the torpedo room where a few other mechanics were working.

“We put the electrical strips across the bottom of the tube and lined it with rubber.  It’s going to give you a nasty jaunt but you’ll probably live.”  One of them said.

“Good.  How much time is left?”  The Captain asked.

“Thirteen minutes, sir.  Do you want to exhaust the timer?”

“No.”  The Captain answered as she stepped into the torpedo shell.  She lay down in it but her height and size made the confines too small.

“Hmm…I’ve seen a few people fit comfortably in one of these but I forget how tall you are, Captain.”  Zee surmised.

“Make it work.”  She said through what sounded like gritted teeth, her patience wearing thin.

‘You’ll have to go without armor.”  Willis announced.  It’s not going to fit.”

“That’s probably just as well.  I should have thought about the magnetism effecting her movement anyway.”  York replied.  The Captain discarded her cape and shucked off her armor.  They all glanced at one another uncomfortably, never having seen the Captain in this much state of undress.  Most of them didn’t even know what color skin she had.  As soon as the armor was removed, the Captain stood in her black body glove, muscles expanding the thick fibers of the slick, flame-retardant material, her physique exposed to them for the first time and it was both daunting and beautiful.  It was like looking at a human shadow, skin still completely concealed by gloves, boots and helmet, hardly anything to see, though the tight suit detailed every line of muscle.

“Hand me the blaster.”  The Captain told Willis.

“Eh, sorry Captain.  No metals unless you want to be stuck inside the torpedo.”  York said.

“Not even a knife?”  The Captain asked.

“No, don’t you have any weapons that aren’t metallic?”  York inquired.  She was the engineering commander of the crew and had no real military experience of her own.  Everyone looked at her like she had two heads.  “All right, then.  I guess that’s a no.”

“I’ll have to make do with going unarmed.”  The Captain stated as she stepped back into the torpedo shell.

“Wow, and I thought this was already a suicide mission.”  Zee said.

“Nah, don’t worry about the Captain.”  Basta replied.  “She could probably kill someone with a commlink.”  They all looked at each other and then at the Captain who was already laying inside the tube.

“Hand me that commlink.”  She said.

 

 

There was a monitor inside the torture room that Nash wondered about.  After Freckles left she then found out why it was there.  Glip flipped it on at an hour when the captain of the Bontanga crew told him to.

“The legendary Captain Phasma has hailed us.”  The Captain said over a speaker.  “Let’s see what she has to say.”  On the monitor Nash saw the crew of the __Nautilus,__  the Captain standing in the middle of the bridge, arms to her side in her iron pose that told everyone she was not threatened.

“Ah, Captain Phasma.  Your time is up and you have not-…”

“If you can hear me, Nash, I will avenge you!”  The Captain suddenly shouted, interrupting the leader of the Bontangas.  “Fire!”

“Wh-…?”

The ship suddenly rocked while bursts of torpedoes bombed its hull.  Nash heard the Bontanga captain call for raised shields before the speaker was cut off.

“Holy shit!”  Glip exclaimed.  “Your wife is a fucking lunatic!  She’s purposely going to kill you just to get to us?  Pure insanity!”  Nash had nothing to say.  The video of the Captain seemed completely out of character.  It almost looked doctored.  She prepared herself for either death by torpedo or imminent escape.

 

 

The Captain was barely able to retain consciousness as she was jetted out of the torpedo chute faster than she had ever traveled outside of hyperspace.  In a matter of milliseconds the electrical lines of the torpedo shell engaged and she felt the magnetism surround her in a bubble of static.  In the four point seventy six seconds it took to transverse between ships she heard the following torpedoes whizzing nearby, changing trajectory to hit the opposite side of the ship she was headed for.  The torpedo shell collided strongly against the hull of the Bontanga ship, the electrical lines magnetizing the tube against it.  The Captain, already freezing due to the vacuum of space, knocked her elbow hard into the lever below and lines of kiber powder flaked off the tube onto the ship.  She then touched two exposed wires together above her head and the kiber powder lit up when the electrical circuit was complete.  The Captain fell through the person sized hole the kiber crystals had made and into the cooling chamber of the Bontanga ship engine room.

Her entrance had not been quiet.  Four Bontanga crew members had seen the glow of the kiber powder and while investigating were surprised to see the hull fall inward and a person fall out.  As soon as they saw the height and helmet of the person they all whipped their blaster pistols out of their belts and pointed them at her.

“It’s Captain Phasma!”

The Captain rolled behind a water tank as blaster shots rang out all over the room.  She shook her head, surprised that they were willing to risk destroying the engines just to shoot her.  She jumped up and grabbed the girders above her, hoisting herself up unseen, the four crew men coming around the tank and finding nothing.  The Captain targeted the crewman the furthest away from the others, stealthly leaping towards him before jumping down and ramming her commlink into his ear.  He cried out first in shock and then in pain before going limp when she pulled his gun out of his hand and shot him in the head.  The other three fired at her, their shots going wild.  The Captain shot three times, fatally wounding all three.

Another crewman came to investigate the noise.  He glimpsed into the room for two seconds before running back through the door.  The Captain ran after him and sailed through the door just in time to see him pound his hand on a red button on a wall next to the engine room exit.  She raised her pistol and shot him dead but it was too late, the alarm was sounded.

 

 

The ship was already at red alert because of the torpedo fire though they were about to shut it off after the __Nautilus__  jumped into hyperspace without much more fight.

“I always thought that Captain Phasma might have been a coward at heart.”  The Bontanga Captain said.  Suddenly the alert for intruders on board glowed orange around him and the dread in his stomach was enough to make him physically nauseous.  Still, he got onto the speaker informing everyone, including the intruder, of the score.  “Everybody arm yourselves.  A monster lurks on board.  Glip, kill Dr. Lyoka.”

 

 

The Captain ran through the corridors of the ship, dodging shots, kicking heads and punching out anyone she came across.  She heard the message and grabbed the nearest crewman.

“Where is she?”  She asked the frightened pirate.

“I don’t know!”  He cried out.  The Captain noticed a knife on the ground and with considerable skill she slipped her shoe under it and flipped it in the air, grabbing it with her left hand and slicing it into the pirate’s arm in one fluid motion.

“Where is she!”  The Captain screamed into his ear.

“Deck four!  Starboard side!  Has an orange door!”  He screamed in terror.  She sliced his neck open, giving him a quick death.

 

 

Glip heard the message though he was visibly anxious by the sounds of the torpedo blasts and all the alarms blaring throughout the ship.  He paused and looked at Nash curiously.

“Would Captain Phasma be willing to take a former Bontanga in her crew?”  He asked her.  Nash knew the answer was no especially since Brienne vetted her crew hard and there was no way Glip could pass the physical nor intelligence test.

“Probably.”  She answered.  “Do you have any particular skills?”  He raised an implement in his hand.

“Torture?”

“Hmm…that could be useful.”  Nash replied though there was rarely a reason to torture on the __Nautilus__.  The Captain could get anyone to talk through a hard stare-down.

They were interrupted when Freckles ran in, shutting and locking the door behind him.

“You owe me a hundred credits.”  He told Glip as he walked to the back of the room behind the table Nash was strapped to.

“Shit, so it is the Captain?”

“You’re damned right it is.  I saw her on the monitors.  It doesn’t look like her but there is nobody in the galaxy who can fight like that.”

“What does she look like?”

“A ghost.”  Freckles admitted, the terror shaking his voice.  Nash knew exactly what he meant.  For whatever reason Brienne had opted not to wear armor.  She was suddenly aware of more sounds emanating outside in the corridors.  It was the obvious sound of blaster fire and people screaming in pain and horror.  The longer it went on the louder and closer it became until it was right outside the door.  There was loud repeated banging and then more blaster fire followed by what sounded like a crunch and then someone crying out in horrible agony.  The cry was cut off by another blaster shot and then a bang against the door to the room ending with something slumping down it.  And then silence.

Nash could sense Glip and Freckles behind her holding onto each other in frightened arms.

“Maybe they got her.”  Glip whispered.

An explosion at the door caused it to burst one side off it’s hinge, exposing the room to the corridor.  Smoke clouded around it making it hard to see anything beyond it.  Glip ran over to Nash with a knife and held it to her throat.

“Don’t come near me or I’ll kill her!”  He cried out to the smoke.  Not a second later Nash could hear a violent stutter escape Glip’s mouth as he clawed for life.  He fell to his knees and then flat on his face on the floor, a giant knife sticking out of his back.

“Not a moment too soon.”  Nash said.  A shadow emerged from behind, the tall figure soaked in blood and bits of guts.

“I got here as fast as I could.”  The Captain replied as she undid the straps.  Nash got off the table and rubbed her arms and legs.

“Any idea how many you’ve killed?”  Nash asked.  The Captain shrugged.

“Forty maybe?  Possibly more?”

“You’re only about halfway.”  She said pulling the knife from Glip’s back.

 

The Bontanga captain sealed the bridge, the monitors of the ship showing only dead bodies strewn about.

“Where the hell did she go?”  The captain asked rhetorically.  Judging by the video feed, the only ones left alive on the ship were the eight on the bridge.  A grate from above suddenly opened and a figure jumped inside, landing on the floor and firing shots at the crewmen closest to her.  She ducked, evading the blaster shots from the crew and rolled over to cover.  The others ran over with their blasters and were stopped when more firing from behind caught them out.  They turned and fired at Nash but she had already ducked back into the grate, giving the Captain opportunity to dig her knife into the nearest crewman’s stomach.  The Captain used him as a human shield, turning the knife in the direction she wanted to go as the crewman took the brunt of the blaster fire.  The Captain shot at the Bontanga captain’s gun, shooting it out of his hand and then sliced her knife up the crewman’s body, digging it out and throwing it into the throat of the next crewman.  He went down instantly and the stillness followed as the only one left was the Bontanga captain.

With chest heaving, blood dripping from every appendage, either hers or someone else’s, the captain didn’t know, but Captain Phasma walked to him with terrorizing steps.  Her full height now standing tall over the fearful man, through the black helmet Captain Phasma glared at the captain with clear vengeful hate.

“You have your wife back!”  The captain shouted.  “You’ve killed everyone in my crew!  Take everything in the hold and get out of here!  Leave me a broken man!”

“Then we agree.”  Captain Phasma replied.  “Broken it is.”  She brought her foot up and then slammed it down on the captain’s leg, shattering the bone.  He cried out and had no time to catch his breath for another scream when Captain Phasma stomped on the other leg.  The captain was kicked and punched repeatedly, blood spattering everywhere as Captain Phasma broke every bone in his body.  At the brink of death, she stopped and crouched over him, fisting his hair so that she could make him roughly look into her visor.

“Now you’re broken.”  She told him.  He suspected a smile beneath the mask.

Nash jumped down from the grate and surveyed the bridge in satisfaction.

“Anything of value?”

“Enough.”  The Captain replied.  She hailed the __Nautilus__.  Those on the bridge stared at the image of Captain Phasma in wide-eyed amazement.  “Come pick us up.  Bring a strip crew over.”

“Yes, sir.”  Willis said before signing off.

 

“Holy shit, was that the Captain?”  Corrin asked.  She was young, only twenty-two and the budding robotics engineer.  After five months on the __Nautilus__ , she was currently being trained for communications.

“Yep.”  Basta replied.  “Get used to it.  This is not the first time I’ve seen her covered in someone else’s blood.”

“Though, besides Dr. Lyoka, I’ve known the Captain the longest and I have admittedly never seen her like that before.”  Willis said.  “Although, remember that time on Anthum five?”  Everyone but Corrin chuckled while they went to work getting the ship back and calling the strip crew.

“What am I missing?”  Corrin asked.

“Aw…can’t explain it.  You just had to be there.”  Zee responded.


	3. Lieutenant General Tarth's Cape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I love the idea of the Captain in a regular black uniform but rocking the cape.

****Lieutenant General Tarth’s Cape** **

 

There was a knock on the door to Lieutenant General Brienne Tarth’s office.  She spent most of her time as Captain Phasma so she rarely had visitors and she didn’t have an assistant because of it.

“Come!”  She called.  She was looking over the schematics of a shield generator used by the Resistance when Commander Nash Lyoka casually walked in, shutting the door behind her.  Brienne Tarth smiled at the welcome surprise.  Brienne had never been one to smile very often but her new relationship with the beautiful doctor gave her a sensation deep within her soul that both exhilarated and frightened the chrome trooper.

“I heard Hux was on the warpath today.  I wondered if you were on your way out again.”  The Commander teased, her dark purple eyes practically glowing at Brienne.  There used to be only one reason that Brienne’s heart would race.  After meeting the doctor, now there were two.

“I was not the cause of it this time.”  She declared.  Nash came to stand next to her, her gaze directed at the schematics in interest.  Brienne took this time to observe her face, those full lips pouting when she was deep in thought, her brows surprisingly expressive and thin, her perfect teeth to match her perfect nose.  Her long, light brown hair always looked magnificently volumized, soft and glossy like Coruscant silk.  She had an exotic look about her, her skin flawlessly tanned, her accent delicately balancing Brienne’s name on her tongue.  It didn’t take long for Brienne’s gaze to drift down the Commander’s body, taking in those large breasts despite the drab First Order uniform, her round bottom protruding outwards while she stood over the table investigating a spot on the generator.  Brienne felt a longing strongly stir within her and she shook herself out of it.  She didn’t get to where she was by ignoring her inhibitions.

“This looks like the one on Hoth.”  The Commander said.

“It is the one on Hoth.”  Brienne replied.  “Apparently the Resistance doesn’t upgrade often.  They’re using the exact same generators as thirty years prior.”

“Do I get something for my astuteness?”  The Commander asked with a glint in her eye.  She turned and leaned against the holotable, looking up at Brienne with such a captivating smile that Brienne felt the stir again, this time coming in hot.  Brienne was at a loss for words.  She had never really had these interactions before and was having to learn without being able to turn to any resources.  Only trial and error would teach her and she was often afraid too many errors would cause this remarkable woman to slip from her grasp.  She swallowed hard, staring into the Commander’s purple eyes,wondering if it was too unprofessional to kiss her.

The Commander seemed to sense her conflict.  She chuckled to herself and turned back to the holotable.  Brienne’s gaze flicked back to the Commander’s ass.

“So, are you invading Hoth then?”  She asked.

“No.  We’re dealing with a much warmer climate.  It’s dense on the planet where this shield generator is located and I’m not even sure I can get any AT-ST’s through it.  We may have to use only ground forces.”  Brienne answered, thankful to get past the moment with little awkwardness and to use her expertise in front of the doctor.  Somehow Nash Lyoka was not put off of Brienne’s constant hesitations and little sense when it came to their exchanges.  Time seemed to stop around the Commander, her patience never waning even when Brienne’s mind was going a mile a minute, trying to understand the situation and figuring out the best options.

It had been a little over a month since Brienne had gone to the Commander’s quarters and been more than astonished to find Dr. Nash Lyoka, the woman that everyone seemed to want, waiting for her in nothing more than a sheer fabric.  Brienne could remember stopping cold in her tracks, wondering if this seductive moment was actually meant for her.  Did the doctor think someone else was under the uniform?  She remembered thinking it was not a good idea to engage in a romance with another officer, especially one who probably thinks she’ll never see her again after the night.  She remembered thinking she couldn’t indulge herself in this woman because she was already weak around her.  Taking it to the next level would falter her in degrees, drive her mad, stir up more emotions than she had ever known or needed.  She remembered giving herself one millisecond to say yes and then never being able to say no again.

“...And after taking the sector from their hands, it should be possible to infiltrate the northern regions of the galaxy using their own commtowers that still stand inside the…”  Brienne hadn’t even realized she was still talking.  This was highly unusual because she was not an especially talkative person, but she was usually not a nervous one either and Commander Lyoka caused her to be unusually talkative and nervous.  She saw the Commander look down at her belt and then finger the holster wielding her pistol.  It caused a surge of words to escape Brienne’s mouth.  She then felt the Commander glide her fingers along her belt line, her touch skating across her abs, where the Commander seemed to notice the involuntary flex beneath the uniform.  Nash grinned and bit her lip, a move that always caused Brienne’s stomach to flutter and her groin to heat.  Brienne completely froze, her sentence hanging in the air when the Commander lifted her cape and slipped her body underneath it.  With the Commander’s hand running lightly up and down her back, Brienne stood up straight and tall, heart pacing faster than any sprint.

“N-Nash…”  Brienne swallowed.

“Keep talking.  I’m still listening.”  Nash replied.  Her voice was slightly muffled by the cape. She could feel her breath warming the underside of her cape, hot along her back.  Her hands were delicately smoothing out the ruffles of Brienne’s uniform along her shoulders and spine, making their way erogenously towards her hips.

“Tarth!”  General Hux shouted as he slammed the door open.  Brienne jumped in surprise, not having any idea how to explain her situation.  The Commander was absolutely still, even her breathing seemed to have stopped.

“General.”  Brienne acknowledged. “Uh…”

“Stop sending your trainees to the medbay.  Your tactics are too harsh.”  He said, glancing from Brienne to the holotable and back at her again.  Brienne was immediately confused.  It seemed the General was unable to see the Commander lurking under her cape.  She was grateful her height was finally good for something, like hiding girlfriends.

“I haven’t sent anyone to medbay in a while, sir.  The last one was TS-7711 and that was for some kind of panic attack.”

“Well, stop giving them panic attacks.  I’ve been getting complaints all day about it.”

“May I ask from who, sir?”

“Commander Lyoka.”  Hux stated.  Brienne could feel the Commander flinch under her cape.  “Though don’t bring it up to her.  I don’t think she would take it well.”

“Hmm…perhaps I should though.  Communication is key to efficiency.”

“I said don’t do it, Tarth.  She’s a good asset and I don’t want you driving her off the base like you do everyone else.”

“Fine.  I will not be the one to bring it up.”

“Good.  Also there’s an upcoming raid I need you to plan.  Geonosis.  Have it done by tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”  Brienne replied.  Hux gave her one more glare before turning on his heel and strolling out the door, slamming it behind him.  Neither Brienne nor the Commander moved for a solid ten seconds.

“I think he’s gone.”  Brienne whispered.  The Commander emerged from beneath her cloak looking a little frosty.

“I never said that.”  She told her, arms crossed against her chest.

“I know.  He says a lot of things.”

“Why does he bully you like that?”  The Commander seemed visibly angry at the way the General treated Brienne, which touched her in a way that nothing really did.  She was getting used to being cared about.  She also knew she couldn’t tell her the truth, at least not yet.  She didn’t want Nash to know that she had killed the General’s father, that he suspected it and that deep down, Brienne was more monster than human.  Brienne was not very experienced at relationships but she knew enough not to let her demons show.

“I suspect it has to do with his father showing me more respect than he ever did to Armitage.”  She half-lied.

“Oh?  That’s something you’ll have to tell me about.”  The Commander said, suddenly back to her enchanting ways.  Brienne’s heart danced in response.

“Certainly.  Say your quarters?  Seven o’clock?”

“I’ll be waiting.”  The Commander replied, shooting Brienne a sultry look.  She sauntered over to the door, peeking out before laughingly opening it entirely and disappearing behind it.

It took ten minutes for her adrenaline to stop surging.


	4. Unaware

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain has many admirers she doesn't know about.

****Unaware** **

****

****

“Hey, Brienne.  Come share my blanket.”  Torri said as she held up the tattered linen.

“I’m keeping watch.”  Brienne answered.  She wore her mask she rarely took off anymore.  She liked the way it hid her face, like she was a ghost.  Besides, she didn’t even like Torri.  She was not a warrior like Brienne.

“C’mon, let the older ones do that.”  Torri whined.

“I am one of the older ones.”  Brienne replied impatiently.  “Everyone does their share.”

“You’re not older.  You were born after me.”

“Why aren’t you sharing with Lassa?  Are you mad at him?”

“Nah, he’s mad at me.  C’mon.  Keep me warm tonight.”

“I said I was keeping watch.  Why’s he mad at you?”

“I told him I liked you better.”

“That’s an odd thing to say.”

“Why?  You’re of age now.  Everyone can see you’re going through the transition.”

“Good.  Then everyone will know I’m older now and can defend this clan.”

“Brienne, just come share my blanket.  I’m getting cold.”

“Go make Lassa come back.  I’m keeping watch.”  Brienne said.  There was a long pause before Torri spoke again.

“Even if you were on watch that night, you wouldn’t have been able to prevent Phasma’s death.”

Brienne immediately stormed out into the night wind.

 

  

 

Captain Phasma disembarked the transport and headed to the _Reverence_  barracks like the rest of the troopers.  Brendol had allowed her to secure her own quarters which were small and barren but private and more than Brienne had ever had in her life on Parnassos.  Today was her first anniversary aboard the giant star destroyer.

“Captain,”  one of the troopers, PT-8586 stopped her.  “I noticed you were shot in the leg by a blaster.  I am trained in first aid and can be of assistance.  You will not have to go to the medbay.”

“I wasn’t planning on going to medbay.”  She replied.  She turned to leave but then remembered her instructions from Brendol.  She would need to practice her First Order etiquette if she was going to fit in.  She turned back around and nodded her head.  “Thank you.”

“Certainly, Captain.  If you require anything, I can be of assistance.”  He continued.

“It’s doubtful.”  She said, not knowing if another thank you was required.  She hustled to her quarters.

“I can help you with your armor!”  He called out behind her.  She shook her head and kept walking.

 

 

Training had become troublesome with KB-4689.  He was not performing up to his abilities.  Brienne felt he was holding back for some reason but she could not fathom why.  At this rate he would be ousted from the trooper training entirely.  Captain Cardinal had given him raving marks and she had concurred with his findings when KB-4689 had first begun his training but after a month he was falling far behind.

“KB-4689, if you can’t wield the baton properly I’ll smash you over the head with it.”  She informed him.

“Yes, sir.”  He answered, his vocoder making him sound as generic as every other storm trooper.  He raised it up and swung it at her.  She easily dodged it and kicked her leg out, sweeping his leg from under him so that he went flying in the air and landed fully on his back.

“That was abysmal.”  She told him.

“Yes, sir.”  He croaked out.

“Try again.”  He got up and held out his baton in a fighting stance.  She was surprised when he gave out a war cry, running full speed into her, striking her baton out of the way so that he collided into her.  She fell on her back and he fell on top of her, his arms wrapping around her in a bear hug.  She drew her fist back and clocked him against his helmet hard enough to knock it off.  He cried out, holding his hand up to his temple in pain and she threw him off of her and then rolled into a standing position.

“What was that, soldier?”  She demanded.

“Sorry, sir.  Was trying out a new tactic.”

“Never lose control.”  She said sternly.  “Look how easily you were taken.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Pick up your helmet and try again.”  

He did as he was told, back into a fighting stance.  Brienne’s patience was wearing thin.  As soon as he was ready she took up her baton and started whacking it at him so that he had to dodge and counter but it was hardly worth any effort until he threw his baton at her and charged her again.  This time she saw it coming. She dodged him and as he passed in full speed she smashed the baton against the back of his head.  He fell forward and onto his face, groaning painfully on the mat.

“I told you that would happen.”  She said.

“Y-yes, sir.”  He stuttered, clearly winded.

“Get up and go back to the barracks.  I don’t know what’s wrong with you but if you continue to digress I will have no choice but to discharge you.”

“Please don’t do that, sir.”  He said.  “Let me try one more time.”

“Fine.  Do not disappoint me.”

KB-4689 got up and took up his baton.  Not only did he perform better than he had earlier, he also impressed her with a sideswipe that managed to knock her off-guard before she came back up, getting the upper hand.

“That was better.”  She said.  “If you had started this way we would not have wasted so much time practicing.”

“I’m sorry, sir.  It’s just that…well…”

“What?  Spit it out.”

“I-I wanted to…be here…with you.”  He said sheepishly.  Brienne paused.  It made no sense to her.

“You could easily practice at any time during your off hours.  You don’t need me to practice with.  If you need someone to spar with KB-4112 is on your level.  You could also help KB-4736 gain more efficiency.”  She said.

“Yes, sir.”  He replied.  His tone sounded disappointed and his head visibly hung lower.  She kicked up her baton into her hand and stashed it in the locker on her way out.

 

 

“Hello again, Captain Phasma.”  The shuttle pilot said as the chrome trooper took her place in the navigation spot.  The Captain had taken to being the navigator during these little trips to Coruscant.  The officer’s shuttle was usually reserved for her each week and she generally got the same pilot every time.

“Ensign Pinda.”  The Captain cordially replied.  After three years in the First Order she was getting better at complaisance.  She was glad to see this particular pilot as the other one talked non-stop and unnerved the Captain with his verbosity.

The shuttle took off out of the star destroyer.  There would be three hours of travel.  The Captain liked to use it to improve her reading skills.  She was finally adept at reading reports, all the jargon and large words were now coming naturally to her.

“Excuse me, Captain, but could I ask you a personal question?”  The ensign asked to her dismay.  The Captain thought about giving a blunt ‘no’ but decided now would be a good time to practice her cordiality too.

“What is it, ensign?”  She said wondering if that was too harsh.

“Are you seeing anyone?”  The ensign asked.  The Captain had heard that term before but didn’t really know what it meant.  She knew it had to do with people getting to know one another though.

“No.”  She answered, thinking that was probably true even if she wasn’t sure.

“Ah, I see.”  The ensign nodded.  “Neither am I.”  The Captain didn’t care.  She ignored it, turning back to her datapad.  The ensign seemed to be anticipating more, hovering over her expectantly.  The Captain addressed it.

“Is there something else, ensign?”

“Well, we have three hours to kill.”  She said.  There was a note to her voice that seemed suggesting but the Captain wasn’t sure how to take it.

“Yes, that’s how long it takes to get to Coruscant.”

“And we’re the only ones aboard.”  Again, there was that tone again.

“As usual.”  She responded flatly.

“Yes.  As usual.”  The ensign repeated however she was clearly suggesting something this time and the Captain was tired of games.

“Could you tell me what it is you want.”  The Captain practically demanded.  She could see a mix of frustration and dying hope in the ensign’s face.

“To sleep…?”  She said slowly.  Her mouth looked like it wanted to form more words but the Captain cut her off.

“I don’t believe that is standard practice on a short excursion, ensign.”  She said.

“Right.”  The ensign said, looking away from her.  “Of course, sir.”  The ensign went back to her seat.  The Captain went back to reading her datapad.

 

 

The Captain hadn’t noticed until now but the Major was prone to incessant winking.  She found it odd.  Currently she was standing around a holotable with Brendol Hux, the Major and a few other lower ranking officers.

“This particular stretch will be difficult to transverse.”  One of the officers said.

“I’m sure the Captain can handle it.”  The Major said.  He looked right at her and winked, a large smile completing the exchange.  Under the mask, Brienne blinked in confusion.  It seemed he had something in his eye.

“Yes, four years ago I would have looked for other routes,”  Brendol replied.  “But with Captain Phasma and her integrated techniques, I believe this can be overcome.”

“As formidable as she is, I concur.”  The Major answered.  Another wink.  The Captain remained silent.

“Good.  We’ll set the strike for tonight.  Dismissed.”  Brendol said.  He glanced at the Captain and gave her a nod before making his leave.  Brienne already despised the man and she made no attempt to follow him.  She made her exit the opposite direction, noting the Major did the same.

“Captain, a word?”  The Major called out.  She stopped and turned around but did not acknowledge him beyond that.  She had noted in the past that he was reasonably better looking than the rest of the officers on board the star destroyer and he was not short on charm but beyond that her thoughts of him were either professional or not at all.  “I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time.”

“How can I help you, Major?”  She answered.  He almost seemed surprised to hear her voice.

“Uh, well, we’ve been assigned to this division for a while and you’re the only person I haven’t had a chance to speak with.”

“What about?”

“What about?  Well, anything really.  Where are you from?  What are your hobbies?  You know how it goes.”

“Actually, I don’t.”  She responded.  He seemed thrown back before recovering gracefully.

“Hmm…perhaps you really don’t.”  He said, eyes narrowed.  “Well, if you’re ever interested in finding out, I would be quite willing to help.”  He said, giving another wink.

“You seem to be suffering from some type of ocular ailment, Major.”  She replied.  He frowned and then touched his eye.

“Er, yes…”

“Good day, Major.”  She turned and went back to her training rooms.

 

 

“Captain.  You’re needed in training room four.”

“I’ll be there shortly.”  She responded.  She was already out of uniform, making arrangements to slip the roach into Brendol’s bed sheets when the call came in.  She sighed and hustled back into her chrome armor.

She made her way to the training room, unsure what to expect.  It was past waking hours and the only reason anyone would be in there was to get in more practice.  She prepared herself for a death or at least a harsh bludgeoning on the floor but instead she came upon two storm troopers scantily clad.  It was TN-1415 and TN-1481, two of her best soldiers, standing side-by-side in mere underpants.

“Captain!  There you are!”  TN-1481 said as the Captain entered the room.  She was flexing her arms, though the way she arched her back caused her breasts to practically burst out of her bra.

“Hey, Captain, we need a non-biased opinion.”  TN-1415 replied, also flexing but standing with legs out so his groin was perched out, showing off his bulge.

“Which one of us is in better shape?”  TN-1481 asked.  The Captain cocked her head in perplexity.  They called her down for this?  What was the point of this?  Brienne did not have any experience to draw from.  She rarely saw naked bodies now that she did not live or shower with anyone in the barracks and the only nakedness she really had known was the twenty-ish years she had on Parnassos.  She looked them over noting how they were not at all shaped like the Parnassians she had grown up with.

“Perhaps you both could use some more toning.”  She replied.  Everyone on Parnassos was underfed and overworked and Brienne was used to thick, sinewy muscle detailed under every inch of skin.  Both storm troopers had faded smiles as they glanced at each other dumbfounded.  “Don’t call me again unless it’s an emergency.”  She added over her shoulder as she walked away.

 

 

“He’d go away if you just said no.”  After three weeks aboard the _Reverence_ , it was the first thing the Sith Lord ever said to her.  They had stood side-by-side, now part of the triumvirate of the star destroyer as General Hux Jr. did most of the talking during any event where the three made an appearance.  She had seen him in action once and he was a better fighter than anyone else she had seen with herself being the only exception.  She didn’t answer him, merely turning her helmet to face him.  He did not seem to be looking at her, his own helmet gazing over the crowd of troopers and officers.  She had no idea what he looked like under the mask and she never cared or thought about it until now.

He sensed her confusion and glanced over at the Major with the winking problem.

“Just tell him no.  He wants a straight-forward answer.”

“An answer to what?”  She asked.  His mask turned to her and she sensed the inquisitiveness behind it.

“Ah.  You don’t realize.”  He said.  He did not sound unkind but she took it offensively.

“Why don’t you tell me.”  She said tightly.  The Sith Lord again looked at her from behind the mask and Brienne suddenly was empathetic to everyone who had to speak to her and not given the benefit of reading her expressions.

“He wants you.”  He stated matter-of-factly.  She looked from Kylo Ren to the Major and back to Kylo Ren.

“Wants me for what?”

“For what?  To sleep with you.”

“How do you know?”  She asked skeptically.

“It’s quite obvious.  He’s the only one brave enough to come over and talk to you.  I see the way he looks at you, hoping you’re looking back at him.”

“That’s nonsense.  He doesn’t even know what I look like.”

“Doesn’t matter.  I hear you’ve been breaking a lot of hearts all over this star destroyer.”

“You’ve heard wrong.”  She replied.

“After this conversation, I think I misunderstood the context.  I had thought you were rejecting people but now I know you’ve simply not figured it out.”

“Are you trying to die?”  She asked him.

“I’m just informing you.  You are incredibly perceptive in many ways but not when it comes to admiration.”

“No one has ever admired me.”  She said.  This time he practically flinched back in surprise.

“No one?”  He asked incredulously.  “How have you not noticed?  I’ve never seen one person with so much unrequited attention to give.”

“You’ve only been here a few weeks.  Perhaps you’ve misjudged the situation.”

“Nobody has a better perspective than me.”  He said.  “You’re the biggest fish on this ship and everyone is clamoring to hook you.”  She glared at him but the mask was unreadable.  She looked back over the crowd and noticed for the first time the side eye glances from some of the officers.  She noticed the Major looking her way and she gave a civil nod in his direction.  He seemed stunned but he returned one, a smile forming at the corner of his mouth.  Brienne thought back on a few instances and came to the realization that she had been approached many times without having known it.  She did not feel bonds with people but the closest she came was to this totally unknown, masked stranger who had managed to enlighten her in one conversation.

 

 

 

“Lieutenant General Tarth.  Please come to my quarters at your earliest convenience.”

“I’ll be there shortly.”  The Captain replied.  The timing was good.  She had just exited out of the Supreme Leader’s holochamber, getting a nasty glare from Armitage Hux when he was told to reinstate her to her position on _Starkiller_.

She walked to the turbolift, alone now while she made her way to the Commander’s quarters.  She had a suspicion this was about the book she had sent to her office that afternoon.  She had no idea what had gotten into her, to send something so unique and personal to a person she didn’t really know well at all.  She didn’t mind parting with the book.  After all, Brendol had given it to her as reading practice and she wanted to wipe out anything that reminded her of him.  

Her thoughts returned to the Commander.  Dr. Nash Lyoka was one of the most impressive individuals she’d ever come across.  She was incredibly motivated and intelligent, a good mix of sense and courage.  She was hard working, dedicated and strong willed, which were all things Brienne admired in a person.  She would never admit this to herself but the Commander was one of the most beautiful women she’d ever seen.  There was no amount of time enough to stare into those exotic purple eyes, to listen to that wonderful accent, to smell the lilacs of her warm, brown hair.  Her heart began to race unexpectedly.  She didn’t like how vulnerable that made her feel.

As she walked down the hall she went over in her mind how she would respond to certain phrases.  She went over her etiquette, trying to remember all the polite things to say so as not to turn a person off.  When she reached the Commander’s door she stopped and took a deep breath, pushing the button to alert the doctor she had arrived.  There was a surprisingly long pause at the door.  Long enough that she wondered if she had the right place.  She looked on the plate and saw the Commander’s name and now she wondered if the Commander had meant another time.

The door slid open and the Captain walked in to an empty room.  She was immediately confused.  She scanned the area before her eyes suddenly lit upon a person coming out of the adjacent room.  Her jaw dropped in shock and awe.  The Commander was basically nude in what Brienne considered a suggestive pose.  Waves of heat flared through her body as the Commander addressed her, sauntering towards her that made her hips more enticing than she thought possible.  She felt the Commander’s touch upon her arm and slide up her armor to the hook of her cape.  A million thoughts went through Brienne’s head but the last one she committed to.

She took the hint.

 


	5. Conjugal Visit

****Conjugal Visit** **

 

Nash received an alert that Captain Phasma’s transport was due to arrive in twenty minutes.  She immediately got up from her desk in her office and headed to the overlook in the main hangar.

 

She was just in time to see the transport commence its landing sequence, docking onto the black flooring of the station.  Hundreds of troopers were ordered into impeccable lines, ready to salute a welcome to one of the top commanding officers.  The landing of the transport hissed as it opened, steam escaping its vaults until the cloud dissipated, revealing a statue in chrome, blaster in hand.  With swirling black cape, the Captain marched down from the landing followed by the squadrons she had taken with her to battle.  Evidently it was a hard one as there was not a trooper among them who had not escaped the scars of mud and blood upon plastoid.  The Captain especially was not unblemished.

 

Nash followed the procession with purple eyes, her sight never lifting off the silver warrior she had not seen in six days either in uniform or in the flesh.  Her heart lifted the moment she saw her, fluttering like the black cape her lover wore.  Six months she had the pleasure of savoring the Captain’s body to hers.  Six months did nothing to quench her desires.

 

The Captain led her troops down the line, passing rows of white storm troopers with hand respectably held to helmet.  Captain Phasma approached a Major General, halting her company behind her as she and the much shorter officer exchanged quick words.  Whatever was said was not communed through expression, lost to the twenty or so people up in the overlook.  Nash gazed upon the officers with curious scrutiny.  The Major General then saluted the Captain as he stepped aside, walking speedily away with extreme sense of urgency.  It would be logical that the Captain would then commence with taking her troops down to the barracks but instead her helmet shifted up, searching the overlook to everybody’s surprise.  Nash felt her chest expand in wonderment, hoping that it was her the Captain was seeking.  She got her answer when the Captain raised a silver hand, first holding up one finger, then three, then one again and then a two.

 

_Doctor_

 

Of course the others knew compressed binary.  They all worked with droids.  She could hear a few of them questioning it in low muttered exchanges.

 

Nash looked point blank at the Captain and returned a pronounced nod.  The Captain punctuated her signals with four fingers sharply flagged towards the barracks.

 

_Meet me in my private room_

 

The Captain then marched onwards, disappearing under the overlook as she trained her troopers back to their quarters.

 

By now it was obvious that Nash had been the one summoned by the Captain.  She looked over at curious stares.

“I’m her personal doctor.”  She explained.

“Does that mean she’s hurt?”  Someone asked.

“Apparently not enough to warrant a trip to medbay.”  She replied.  Before anyone else could ask questions, the inevitable always being ‘What does the Captain look like?’, Nash tread out of the overlook towards the turbolifts.

 

Nash knocked on the door of Captain Phasma’s private room.  She didn’t wait for a reply to enter.

“For someone who prefers our relationship be confidential,”  Nash said as she shut and locked the door behind her.  “You certainly don’t practice enough discretion.”

The Captain was sitting on the cot, removing her leg armor with slow movements.

“You’re a doctor.  No one will think anything of it.”  She replied with gritted teeth.  Clearly something was causing her pain.

“You could have called me on your comm.”  Nash continued to chastise as she went to the closet where the Captain stored her uniforms, pulling out a medical bag that Nash had stashed in there for such occasions as these.

“Anyone in the overlook would have overheard our conversation.”  The Captain contended.  “It was more discreet this way.”  She removed her boot and splotches of blood rained onto the floor.  Her sock was soaked in red liquid though the bulk of it looked dried out.

“You’re going to get blood all over this floor.”  Nash grumbled while she retrieved a towel from the cabinet.  She laid it on the ground and helped the Captain roll her sock off, revealing a chunk of tissue gouged from her leg.  “Dear god, how did that happen?”  Nash exclaimed.

“Shrapnel from an implosion of a hydrolic chamber.”

“Where’s the shrapnel?”

“I pulled it out.”

“When?”

“Maybe five hours ago?”

“And you’ve been walking around like this?”

“I wasn’t going to die from it.”

“You could have if you lost enough blood.”

“It’s just a flesh wound.”  The Captain shrugged.  “If I die from that then I’m not worthy of life.”

“This is not a flesh wound…”  Nash muttered as she scanned over the wound, looking for more shards of shrapnel.  The scanner blipped indicating there were more metal fragments in the wound.  Nash took some tweezers from her bag and fished around in the wound, feeling the dense clink between metal prongs and seized it, pulling it out with little concern for the Captain’s pain tolerance.

The Captain squeezed her eyes shut, digging white knuckles into the cot as Nash plucked it out.  The Captain let out a harsh sigh as soon as the shrapnel was freed.  Sweat dripped from her brow onto the floor with the suffocation of her pain.

“Shall I keep this in a vial for you as a memento?”  Nash inquired with an amused smile.

“The other one you kept got you an accolade.  Consider it a gift.”

“Mmm…ever the romantic.”

Nash closed up the wound while the Captain removed the rest of her armor.  By the time she was done, the Captain had wrested her body glove down so that the upper portion hung unused behind her, the bottom portion still clung like black paint to her legs.

“Go get showered and I’ll check you over once more before I head back to my office.”  Nash ordered her.  She was surprised when the Captain sat motionless on her cot.  She glanced over at her and noted the sudden darkness in the Captain’s eyes, staring at her with blue listlessness.

“I’m leaving in four hours.”  The Captain said with earnest regret.  “I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Nash focused silently on the Captain with crestfallen heart, unable to voice her concern without betraying her grief.  Six days without her had already been miserable enough.  She wasn’t sure she could go another without her presence in her quarters, the warmness in her bed, the feel of her body pressed to hers, her voice in her ear, her hands reaching for her, touching her sensually…

“Go get showered.”  Nash commanded in a near whisper.  The Captain stared hard at her, finally dropping her eyes to the floor when she realized nothing else could be said.  Nash heard the shower in the other room turn on, the sound of water spraying unimpeded until a body filled the space under the head.  Nash looked down to her crisp, black uniform and began to unbutton it.

 

Blood still ran into the drain when Nash entered the bathroom.  Steam already filled the air as the Captain roughly rinsed the dried blood off her leg.  Her back was turned to the door and she was unaware of another.  Nash knew better than to approach a skilled soldier without caution so she opted to watch from afar while the Captain washed her skin clean.  

Upon observation, the Captain was covered in scars both old and new.  She had a few new bruises too that lined her ribs and on the back of one thigh.  Captain Phasma applied soap to her skin, rubbing it along her body until all the red had been rinsed away, leaving her porcelain legs unmasked once again.  Her white blonde hair shined and her dense muscles rippled under the sheen of the water, generating a lustful need from Nash.  The Captain finally noted a presence, looking behind her and slowly rising from her angle to stand tall and meet Nash with widened blue eyes.  Those eyes traveled from Nash’s face down her naked body till they reached her toes, rising up again to meet her eyes after fully absorbing the sight of her.  Nash did not need an invitation to know the Captain wanted her.  She sauntered towards her, slipping under the hot spray of the water, coming close to her so that she could slide her hand up the Captain’s shoulder and around her neck to slowly bring her into an embrace.  The Captain lightly slid her hands around Nash’s waist, dark lustful blue eyes trained on her until their wet bodies were pressed together and arms wrapped strong.  The Captain held Nash to her, running her fingers along hips and creases, nudging her face into her neck, breathing her in before kissing the skin with a slight caress of her tongue.  Nash massaged small fingers into the Captain’s shoulders, on her back along her scapulae, closing her eyes at the Captain’s gentle touch.

They embraced under the water for as long as they could stand the sexual tension building between them, exploring hands grazing muscled triceps, heated mouths pressed open against moist skin.  Nash felt teeth gently nipping on her neck, edging at her jaw, her heart pacing rapidly with ferocious need.  She turned to look into the Captain’s eyes, overwhelmed by the hunger she saw there.  With willpower reduced to nothing, the Captain finally claimed Nash’s mouth with hers, drawing her into an intensity Nash was surprised had not yet been reached before.  Her lungs exhaled sharply, making room for the air Nash would draw in from the Captain, gasping at the fervor of her desire.  The Captain slipped her tongue into Nash’s inviting mouth, swirling pleasurably against the others, eliciting throaty moans from both.  The water rained down their slick bodies as they moved in a sensual symphony, mouths greedily taking, hands insatiably groping, bodies heated in sexual compulsion.

The Captain snuck her hand in between them, reaching into Nash and feeling the heat and slickness of her passion.  Nash moaned tightly into the Captain’s mouth as she felt fingers slide gently into her, strong digits stroking her vaginal walls with sublime pressure.  She clenched her jaw and gripped the Captain as the motion continued in aching bliss.  She hardly had the awareness to feel herself backed into the shower tile, the coolness on her back a stark contrast to the heat of the water and the body pressed up against her.  Nothing could rouse her from the unimaginable sensations the Captain was capable of doing to her body.  She was falling inside herself, the Captain’s lips bruising wonderfully on her neck, her fingers stroking long and hard into her throbbing core, her palm rubbing rapturously against her swollen clit.  She saw a blinding light behind her eyelids, the bubble of euphoria growing hot and dense within her body suddenly bursting out in myriad waves, seizing her with thunderous awe, the shocks coursing through her rigidly until they dissipated out her fingers and toes.  Nash sighed in intense satisfaction, needing the Captain’s aid to stand afterwards.

She opened her eyes to the face of the Captain, pleased with the outcome of her efforts.

 

The steam clouded inside the bathroom, suggesting they had been entranced with one another for longer than a standard shower.  Nash turned off the water and grabbed a few towels from the cabinets, shooting the Captain with teasing ‘come hither’ looks.  They dried off, stealing kisses once in a while, then Nash laid down a clean blanket onto the couch, pointing to it with an unsaid command.  The Captain smirked and laid down, reaching for Nash who covered as much of the Captain’s tall body as she could with her own, resuming their graceful embrace, lips meeting and hands seeking in a terrible hunger.

Nash was ravenous for the Captain, a desperate need to please her filled her chest.  She straddled the blonde and ravaged her body, kissing her mouth, jaw, neck, shoulders in starved obsession.  The Captain lay back and closed her eyes, focusing on the attention brought to her body, moaning with each heightened sensation.  A suckle on her breast, teeth light on her nipple, tongue tracing her abs, fingers centered near her core, drove another moan from the Captain.  Nash settled in between the Captain’s thighs, flicking her tongue against her clit, eliciting a sharp motion, an arched back, thrusting hips from Captain Phasma.  She opened wide her mouth and placed it onto the Captain’s mound, exhaling hot breath onto the sensitive area.  The Captain gripped Nash’s long brown hair with tensed fingers, a hiss escaped between her teeth.  While lapping a thick tongue against her clit, Nash slipped two fingers into her slick folds and was rewarded with an aching moan.  Nash groaned against her, curving her fingers and slicking them inside the Captain’s vagina, tersely rubbing the softness inside.  More hisses came from the blonde, this time including a harsh sigh.  The Captain was famished for sexual contact, needing little to bring her to the climax of her arousal.  With flattened tongue lapping at her clit and dexterous fingers maneuvering skillfully inside her core, Nash continued to exert every effort into bringing the Captain to her peak, pleased when her body suddenly arched in a fierce tension, muscles strained in strong display, a choked cry clawing from her throat.  The Captain came down, breathing harshly, chest heaving, body cooling after the powerful release of her orgasm.  Nash climbed onto her, kissing her way to her mouth while Captain Phasma desperately reset to a normal state.  It took a few minutes for the silence to be broken.

“Commander Lyoka.”  Came a tinny voice, disrupting the stillness of the air.  It was her comm.  The commander of engineering hailing her.  Nash groaned and reached for it but her clothes were too far away.  With a long stretch, the Captain extended her arm and retrieved it for her without getting up.  She wrapped the same arm around Nash once she handed it over.

“Yes, Commander?”  Nash spoke into her comm.  Her cheek was still pressed to the Captain’s breasts and she figured her voice was sounding waves through her chest.

“Shall we start the meeting without you?”

Ah, right.  The meeting.  That at least informed Nash that it was probably about ten minutes past two o’clock.

“I’m in with a patient.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“A patient, Commander?  Are you working medbay today?”

“No.  I’ll explain later.”  Nash replied, signing off.  She sighed wistfully, feeling the Captain’s arms lightly squeeze around her.

“Do you have to go?”  The Captain asked.

“Probably.  It’s about the sub-hyperspace relay channels.  I should stay updated on that.”  Nash answered.  “It’s a good thing I have a legitimate excuse for not being there.  Strangely enough, I’m glad you got hit with shrapnel or I wouldn’t have seen you at all while you were here.”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“Why else would you have signaled me from the overlook?”

“I would have signaled you if I had just been dunked in the healing waters of L’avat.  It wasn’t the shrapnel that bid me to find you.”  The Captain replied.  Nash tilted her head up, meeting her blue eyes inquisitively.

“You didn’t need me?”

“Not for the shrapnel.  I could have done that myself.”

There was a terse silence as Nash penetrated her eyes into the Captain, hoping she understood her meaning correctly.  She shifted up so that she leaned over the Captain, unwavering gaze piercing into her with probing eyes.

“Can I hear you say it?”  Nash whispered with longing.  The Captain was stone still, responding with stone cold earnestness.

“I needed you, Nash.”  The Captain told her, voice low and gravely.  “I needed to hear your voice.  To feel your body.”  Nash swallowed hard before taking the blonde into another searing kiss, rewarding her for the rare moment of vulnerability she strategically chose to display.

“When does…your…transport leave?”  Nash asked the Captain between hard kisses.

“At 1700…hours.”  The Captain responded, barely able to get the words out of her mouth before Nash stifled her passionately.

“You’re going…to need…rest.”

“Yes.  …Later.”

 

At 1430 hours, Nash was on the floor, the blanket laid out underneath her as she slowly gyrated her hips in tight circles, her breath coming out in short wheezing gasps.  The Captain was on her knees, leisurely tonguing her pussy, the goal not to get her to come but to satiate the Captain’s hunger for the brunette.

“Captain Phasma.”  Came another static voice, sailing through the Captain’s comm.  The Captain groaned and reached for it off the floor.

“What is it, sergeant?”

“TN-1596 has Korovian flu.  We believe the entire unit is compromised.”

“Fine.  Quarantine all TN’s.  Prepare JN unit for excursion.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Your medbay divisions are going to have a long night.”  The Captain told Nash as she stretched out on the floor beside her.

“Korovian flu quarantines aren’t so bad.”  Nash replied a little breathy, still tantalized by the Captain’s ministrations.  “Now if your unit had Kashyyyk’s Revenge.  That would be a problem.”

“Mmm…”  The Captain hummed in response, briefly closing her eyes and having to will them open against their protest.

“When was the last time you slept?”  Nash asked, noticing her exhaustion.

“Not sure.  Maybe twenty-five hours?”  The Captain said through a yawn.

“I’m setting an alarm for twenty minutes to 1700.  That’ll get you at least half your required sleep allotment.”  Nash told her, getting up and punching the alarm into a nearby console.  The Captain stayed on the floor, somewhat sprawled out, too tired to move.  Nash grabbed another blanket and covered her with it, moving to retrieve her clothes off the floor.

“Stay with me.”  The Captain said almost in a dream state.

“I have a meeting I’m very late to and you are such a light sleeper it’s better if I’m not here.”  Nash told her as she drew her pants on.

“No.”  The Captain urged in her exhaustion.  “Stay.”

“I can’t.”  Nash responded, throwing her black tunic over her shoulders and buttoning it up.

“Nash.”  The Captain practically whispered, so close to sleep.  Nash put on her boots and kneeled over the Captain.  

“Brienne.”  Nash whispered back.

“Stay.”

There was a moment’s hesitation when Nash thought about the meeting going on without her, the importance of the relay channels, the commander of engineering curiously wondering about her absence, but then she looked down at the Captain and had forgotten how peaceful the blonde could look in sleep, how she hardly ever had the chance to witness it and how her heart wanted every second with her.

“Just until you’re asleep then.”  Nash assuaged.  A perk of a smile ticked the corner of the Captain’s lip.  It faded away as the Captain drifted into unconsciousness.  

A minute passed before Nash left a lingering kiss on the Captain’s temple and stood up, leaving the Captain dormant on the floor.  She took one last look at her blonde soldier before turning out the light and closing the door behind her.


	6. Uniform

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain gets a new uniform.

****Uniform** **

 

“You’ve got a lot of scuffs on your shoulder.”  Nash told Brienne.  It had been a long day, the credits from the last contract had been hard earned.

“I know.  I can’t buff it out.”  The Captain replied.  They were in the observation deck of the main hangar, watching the soldiers and mechanics below perform their duties in perfect sync.  In under six months their mercenary group had grown to a group of thirty.  They had just come up planet side and were headed through space to their next contract.

“That’s because it’s not the Naboo chrome your First Order armor was made of.”

“I’m aware.”

“You’re also aware that you don’t have an eye for design.”  Nash said.  The Captain turned her head towards Nash, the black visor portraying no emotions but Nash could feel the questions emanating from underneath.

“If you’re trying to hurt my feelings, there are better ways.”

“No, you know what I mean.  I didn’t want to tell you but this particular set of armor is my least favorite.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“There’s nothing wrong with it.  It’s just not as interesting.  Your storm trooper armor was striking and your Battla armor was lightweight and urban.  This…”  She said raising a hand at the streamlined chrome.  “Well, I think there’s something better out there for you.”

“I didn’t know you didn’t like it.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it, or even if it matters whether I like it or not, I just think you’ve looked more…eh…”  Nash said, swishing her hand through the air as she searched for the right word.

“Impressive?”  Brienne supplied.

“Intimidating.”  Nash retorted.  The Captain paused in confusion.

“Intimidating?”

“Yes.  Aggressive.  Fearsome.  Daunting.”

“Scary.”

“No, not scary.  Intimidating.”

“Yes, you’ve mentioned.  I didn’t realize that was what was required in a set of armor.”

“It’s not, but it helps.  I used to love the fear in the officer’s faces when you walked down the corridors of _Starkiller_.”

“That sounds like they were scared.  Perhaps of something scary.”

“Really, Shrapnel,”  Nash huffed.  “If I meant scary, I would have said so.”

“What are you getting at?”

“Well, we just made quite a bit of money on that last contract and we just happen to be near Meridian Prime…”

“You’re suggesting we go shopping?”

“If that’s how you want to phrase it.”

“Not really.”

“All right then.  I’ll say it.  I want to take you shopping.”  Nash laughed.  The Captain shook her head but Nash knew she was smiling.

“Fine.”  The Captain replied in capitulation a few moments later.  “We can go to Meridian Prime.”

“Yay!”

 

 

The crew of the _Nautilus_  were just as pleased to be having a surprise excursion to Meridian Prime, though none of them knew why they were going.  They just knew not to question it.  Brienne refused to go down to the planet without her helmet on so Nash appeased her.  While everyone else was getting rowdy in the city, the Captain and her girlfriend were in the arms sector, looking for the most sought after armorer in the star system.

“Okay, this is it.”  Nash said opening a door to a large building that looked more like a church.  On the plaque overhead read: Nabor Mishu, Grandmaster Armorer.  In the streets, there were people already pointing to the Captain in wide-eyed fascination.  If anyone was going to recognize the Captain, it was going to be among the soldiers and warriors of the city.

They went in, Nash pulling the Captain by the arm, a large bell chiming as they entered.  Inside were rows of armor of all shapes and sizes.  Some made for Wookies, some for Mon Calamari, some for Herglics, most were for humanoid forms.  

“We’re closed!”  A rough voice drifted in from the back.  “Come back next week!”

“There wasn’t a sign on the door!”  Nash called back.  She stepped further inside while the Captain stayed back against the door.  The Captain didn’t mind being in people’s faces or unkind when it was called for but she didn’t like to be impolite.

“For Jengo’s sake…”  The voice muttered.  They heard someone getting up from a squeaky chair, a shadow on the floor growing larger before it’s maker appeared through the door.  “I’m afraid I’m busy with a large shipment at the moment.  I should be able to take orders next week.”  They could hear the shop buzzing with apprentices working in the back, hammers bending metal and plastoid being melded and shined.

“We will be gone next week.”  Nash answered.  The armorer was a short man with clear bulks of muscle brimming under his overworked arms and shoulders.  He was at least sixty years old with white tufts of hair and thick glasses.

“Ah, a Kajian.”  He said as he came up to Nash.  “Why would a beautiful Kajian need armor?  Your planet is at peace.”

“It’s not for me.  It’s for her.”  She answered as she held a hand out towards the Captain.  The armorer glanced over, squinting his eyes until he focused enough that his jaw dropped and his eyes went wide in astonishment.

“Captain Phasma?”  He replied.  Before the Captain could respond he was already beckoning her over excitably, a giant smile crossing his old face.  “Please!  Come in!  I am a huge admirer of your work!”

“I don’t want to impose if you do not have the time to-…”  The Captain began.

“No!  No bother at all!  Come to my worktable!”  He gleefully replied.  They followed him to the back where ten apprentices and five master armorers were hard at work.  One by one the hammering and sewing stopped as they noticed the Captain coming down the line, each one staring in awe.  The room was silent by the time they had crossed it.

“My worktable is just in here.”  He said leading them to an enclosed office.  Once he shut the door the hammering mutely began again.  

“Grandmaster Mishu, we were thinki-…”  Nash began.

“Please call me Nabor.”  He interrupted as he swiped a cat off a chair, picked it up and settled it near his worktable for Nash to sit on.  “I cannot allow a legend and her friend to regard me so formally.  I’m a huge fan!  Love your work!”

“Okay, Nabor.  We were hoping for a style that is as resourceful as a storm trooper’s but has more robust features.”  Nash said.

“Intimidating.”  The Captain added.

“Yes, resourceful, robust, intimidating…this I can do for you.”  Nabor said as he picked up his pencil and began outlining the Captain’s physique.  “Are you looking for a particular metal?  Chrome is available though it doesn’t come cheap.”

“Yes.”  Nash and the Captain said in sync.

“Chrome will work.”  Nash added, glancing to the Captain irritably.

“What about plastoid?  We can try a mix of both that will make the details of the plates sort of ‘pop’ when used in conjunction.”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”  Nash answered.

“Ah, let me show you.  Bardgen!  Bring me the Coruscant plates!”  Nabor yelled.

“The imperial guard or the lite infantry?”  A voice yelled back.

“Imperial guard!”  

A moment later a young man came in bearing a set of armor made of silver and black elements.  He handed it to Nabor and then hoarsely whispered to the Captain on his way out.

“I’m a huge fan!”

“Okay.  Thank you.”  Nabor told him, shooing Bardgen out of the office.  He held up the chest plate to show them.  “This is a silver-plastoid mix.”

“Ooh, I like that!”  Nash declared, touching the plate.

“Isn’t it nice?  As you know the plastoid is light and durable allowing for speed and flexibility.  The strips of metal are placed in areas where protection is needed the most.  The balance is good if you have an eye for it but too often I see subpar armor worn into battle.  No wonder people are killed all the time.”

“I can imagine.”

“Now, I wouldn’t put the Captain into this particular fashion, of course.  This is made for someone with considerably less skill.  The Captain has a unique fighting style that certainly calls for a unique set of requirements.”

“What would you recommend?”

“Ooh, I am so glad you asked!”  Nabor replied ecstatically.  The Captain had hardly said a word at this point, wondering if she should intervene.  It also occurred to her that while she knew armor, she didn’t have the first clue about style and it was something Nash wanted so she allowed her to indulge in this particular endeavor.

“The Captain is prone to using her legs more often.”  Nabor continued.  “Most fighters don’t have the kick that she does.  This particular thigh plate would enhance the strength and accompanied with this shin guard would shield her from knife attacks.  There’s a sheath on each leg for daggers.”

“What about chrome fatigue?”

“Ah!  The lady knows her metals.  I would suggest the Kashyyyk chrome.  It has a higher durability than the Geonosis metals the Captain is currently wearing and surprisingly less heavy than the chrome from her Naboo former storm trooper armor.”

“You certainly know a lot about the Captain.”

“Like I said.  Huge fan.  My sons and daughters all collect historical trading cards and I took all their Captain Phasmas and Darth Vaders when they weren’t looking.”

“See!  Darth Vader.  You’re in good company, Shrapnel.”  Nash told the Captain.  The Captain merely shrugged.

“Now, I would never recommend this to anyone else but due to the Captain’s height and strength, I can implement a flame-resistant reticular cape that also has the added counteraction against blaster shots.  It’s heavy though.”  Nabor said.

“Does it come in black?”

“Yes, it does!”

“Any chance we could give it a red lining?”

“Certainly!”

“What do you think, Shrapnel?”  Nash asked.  The Captain thought back to the time Nash hid under her cloak from General Hux.  She didn’t care how heavy it was.

“Fine.”  She answered.

“Great!”  Both Nabor and Nash replied.

“What about ammo boxes and belts?  Do you have anything that’s more functional than these?”  Nash asked, pointing to the belt around the Captain’s waist.

“I do.  While those particular ones are usable, I have a set that you might be interested in.  It carries a pistol holster, a pin to hang your blaster rifle and two slots for, perhaps, an extendable longstaff?”

“What about a kyber axe?  Would that fit?”

“Hmmm…It’s possible.  I may have to refit the pin or shorten one of the adjacent boxes.”  Nabor said.  Since they had began talking, he had been making sketches, hastily drawing up the Captain and applying different armor to her.

“No holotable?”

“Holotables don’t have the means to reconstitute the armor.  It simply takes pre-existing armor and matches it over the buyers body type.  So, yes, I do have a holotable but this is a very special case.”

“Oh, that’s nice of you.”

“You have no idea how much you’ve made my day, my dear.”  He smiled.

 

 

Nabor showed them several types of styles.  The Captain didn’t have a preference but ultimately picked out the one she knew Nash liked the best.  She had to admit, it was certainly more intimidating than the armor she had on.  Nabor then brought the Captain to an open space with a wide pedestal near the back.  The pedestal was surrounded by lights and drawers from floor to ceiling.

“Please, Captain, if you don’t mind.”  Nabor pointed to the pedestal.  The Captain stepped upon it, standing in a way that made her most comfortable.  Both Nash and Nabor looked upon her like she had just turned water into wine.

“That stance.  I’ve never seen it in person.”  Nabor said in a hushed tone.  “It gives me chills.”

“That’s just her natural pose.  I don’t think she realizes how indomitable it looks.”  Nash responded.  The Captain suddenly felt self-conscious.

“Grandmaster.  Please.”  She directed him.

“Yes, of course.”  He said taking out his tape measure and coming towards her.  As he took her measurements he seemed to be annoyed by the placement of her armor.  “May I ask who made your armor?”  He asked, clearly being judgmental.

“Found it on a First Order base.”  The Captain responded.

“Just on the base.  Lying around?”  He replied curiously.

“No.  There was someone in it.”  She answered cryptically.

“We think he was going to be the First Order’s newest propaganda soldier.”  Nash supplied.  “Apparently he wasn’t much of a challenge though.”

“Oh?  How’d you kill him?”  Nabor asked the Captain.

“Pulled off his helmet.  Shoved a micro grenade in his mouth.”

“Hmm…no wonder this chest plate is dented.  This was clearly made for someone with more bulk than you, no offense, Captain.”

“None taken.”

“Lucky thing he was at least tall enough.  Barely.”  The armorer continued to judge.  “I’m afraid it’s too large and I’m having trouble getting down your measurements.”

“Do you need her to take it off?”  Nash inquired.

“It would help, yes.  Not the helmet though.  I understand with the Captain that nobody sees her face.”

Nash glanced at the Captain who seemed hesitant to take off her armor in front of them.  Nash sighed and turned around.  Nabor followed her cue.  Behind them they could hear the Captain stashing the plates to the ground.

“All right.”  The Captain said when she was done.  Nash watched for Nabor’s expression as he spied the Captain in her black body glove, same pose as before.  She was not disappointed to see the reverence on his face.

“I’ve seen taller and shorter and leaner and more muscled but I have never seen anything like you before.”  He said in awe.

“Just get the measurements.”  The Captain sighed.

“Yes.  Right away.”

 

 

“So, we’ve settled for the black plastoid with chrome guards uniform…”  Nabor said as he placed measurements and requests into select boxes near a drawn out, generalized human figure.  “Specialized tool belt.  Check.  Enhanced radiation defense.  Check.  Will you be needing blaster shields?”

“That’s probably a good idea.  Shrapnel?”  Nash looked to the Captain.  The Captain nodded.

“Will you have any use for cooling jets?  They’re inserts for your chest plate though they restrain some movements.”

“Eh…”  Nash gauged.

“I’ll throw them in for free.”  Nabor replied.

“Okay, then.  Why not?”  Nash said.  “What about helmets?”

“I assume full cover.”

“Yes.  I think the storm trooper helmet is too bulky and the Battla helmet is too retro.  This particular one she has now is neat but not a lot of space for electrical components.”

“Hmm…yes, has a bounty hunter look to it.”

“Right?  That’s what I said.”

“Well, I have an array of head gear that can be supplied.  It just depends on what your style preference is.  I think for the Captain, something sleek might conform with the rest of the armor.”

“I was thinking the helmet should not be chrome.  I don’t like that her head is a target.”

“I see what you mean.  Plastoid would be best because it is light and protective.”

“Hmm…have you ever heard of synthetic palomonium marble?”  Nash asked him.  His eyes went wide, he flinched back in surprise.

“I have.  It’s incredibly dense and quite new.  I have no way of getting some, however.”

“I would be able to supply it.”  Nash told him.

“Really?  That’s quite interesting.  I believe the story goes that a First Order scientist discovered it after digging out a piece of shrapnel from our very own Captain Phasma.”  He answered, lifting a hand in reference towards the Captain.

“That was me!”  Nash exclaimed.

“That was you?”  He sat stunned.  

“Right, Shrapnel?”  Nash asked the Captain excitedly.

“Yes.”  The Captain confirmed with zero emotion.

“Well, I am absolutely honored, young lady, to be in your presence.”  He took her hand and kissed the back of it.  The Captain had seen Nash in her element before.  She was always great at getting people to like her, to really open up, but today seemed to hit a new annoyance for the Captain.  She just wanted to get a new set of armor.  Not have her fiancee giggling with the man making it.

“You sure know how to make a girl blush, Nabor.”  Nash laughed, swiping the air in front of her.  “But as I was saying, I have the means of making the palomonium marble.  Do you think you could fashion a helmet out of it?”

“I would certainly be excited to try.  But I’ll probably need a surplus of the material.  Mistakes are bound to be made.”

“Undoubtedly.”

“Why not make the whole armor out of it?”

“It’s much too difficult to obtain that much material for all of it.  Also, even if I could obtain enough for an entire set it would take too long to synthesize.  We were looking to commission several suits of armor but only make one helmet since it should be strong enough to endure even a blaster cannon.”

“I see.  A wise choice.  When do you think you could bring the material?”

“I have to go get the marble to synthesize with the palomonium and that literally means going back to the planet to dig It out.  Possibly two weeks?”

“That gives me time to make several sets of armor then.  I should have them ready by the time you come back.”

“Great!  How much is the advance?”  Nash asked.  Nabor shook his head.

“For the Captain, your word is enough.”  He answered.

 

 

Nash took Basta, Zee and a small shuttle to go dig out the marble.  She was gone three days.  When they came back they were covered in dirt but Nash wasted no time in starting the amalgamator as soon as she could.  Nash had formed one deck into a science outfit.  The medbay, biolab, weapons, droids and chemical labs were all situated on the deck.

When she was done, Nash took the palomonium marble back to Meridian Prime without the Captain. She came back three days later with several large containers.

 

 

Nash and Brienne were in their quarters that night with the new items.  The doctor opened the container like unveiling a surprise.  She pulled out the chrome plates first.

“I hope you like these.”  Nash said with a giant grin.  “Nabor does excellent work.”

“As I’ve heard.”  The Captain replied.  She was tired of hearing the words ‘most sought after armorer in the star system’ from Nash.

“Go put them on.”

Brienne had no trouble applying the armor to her body.  In fact they had a different type of grip to them that allowed her to simply snap them in place.  She had never seen that before and was already pleased by the difference.  She put every piece on and then draped the cape over her shoulder, touching the fabric with bare hands and finding it smoother than she had anticipated.  It was a little heavy but she could see the detailed arrangement in it’s creation, realizing it was meticulously built.  She looked around but didn’t find a helmet.

“Nash.”  She called as she entered the main room from their bedroom.

“Wow!  I love it!”  Nash exclaimed.

“It looks…intimidating.”

“Not yet.  Wait until you put on the mask.”

“I couldn’t find it.”

“I’ve got it here.”  Nash said tapping a box on the table that was not there before.  The Captain sighed.  She could never understand a person’s excitement for _things _.__   If any one should be excited about having something, it should be her as she grew up with literally nothing except the clothes on her body, a mask and a dagger.  As she saw it though, material goods were just resources and nothing more.

“Are you going to let me see it?”  Brienne asked.  She was at least curious if it would fit.  Nash made another big spectacle before bringing out the black helmet from the container.  Brienne had seen the sketch of it but was pleasantly surprised when Nash pulled out a glossy black helmet with a red visor, chrome highlights giving it a warrior look.  It was certainly intimidating.

“Try it on!”  Nash said excitably.  The Captain took it from her, inspecting it in her hands.  It was lighter than it looked.  Definitely lighter than the one she had been using lately.  She turned it this way and that before pulling it over her head.  It fit as snugly as it should, the visor engaging the instant she pulled it on, data streaming in as a white outline of Nash indicated on the screen her name in white lettering.

_Dr. Nash Lyoka MD - Wife_

“I see you’ve already input a few specifics.”  Brienne responded.

“Just the wife part.”  Nash said.

“We’re not even married yet.”

“I knew you would say that.  It’s just to save time.  Now I don’t have to go back in and change it.”  She justified.  “How does it look?  Is the fit all right?”

“Yes.”  Brienne answered as she tilted her head and looked all the way to the right then all the way to the left.  She was surprised by the range she had now that there was less to hinder her neck movement.

“Okay then…what do you think?”  Nash asked.  Brienne stood for a moment, raising her arms and lifting her legs, testing out the armor’s weight and motion.  Brienne had worn armor all her life though she had never had any specifically made for her.  On Parnassos she took whatever she could get.  In the First Order she was given a standard storm trooper suit that would accommodate her height, which just happened to be a size 12.  On Battla she scrounged together a makeshift outfit that conformed with the planet’s style.  After Battla she had taken the chrome armor she had found on the First Order base because she felt the chrome provided better protection than the Battla one.  It took a well-built, specialized suit of armor to realize all her life she’d been robbed of her potential.

“I like it.”  Brienne said through the vocoder.  Even her voice sounded more intimidating then usual.  She was especially pleased with the electronic options and the clarity of the ventilator.

“You do?”  Nash asked happily.  “You’re not just saying that?”

“When have I ever just said something?”

“You do like it!”  Nash laughed.  “I can’t wait for everyone to see you tomorrow.”

 

 

The Captain entered the bridge and was immediately met with double-takes and surprised stares.  She could see the astonishment of her bridge crew but there were also smiles leading her to believe the new armor was at least physically appealing.

“Like the new threads, Captain!”  Zee said shooting her a thumbs up.  He was the only one with the brass to step out of line with the Captain.  He was also not a liar, so his praise was most likely genuine.

“Fine.”  The Captain replied.  “Back to work.”

“We’ve got about a hundred new applicants.”  Willis told her, handing her a datapad.  “I was thinking about sending out a free fight out on Anthum Prime.  Cut out the weakest.”

“Good.”  She said.  “Also, training will be an hour earlier today.”

“Sure.  Gotta test out the new chrome.  I’ll inform the others”  Willis replied.  Everyone went back to work.  The Captain looked around the bridge and caught a few of the crew looking her way.  She noticed Basta and York glance at each other in smiles and nods before glancing back at her in clear approval.  As silly as she felt about the exposure of her new uniform, the reactions were causing an upsurge in self-esteem that she tried hard to dismiss.  The door to the bridge slid open and Nash entered.  She said something to Zee and then a quick hello to Basta before sitting down next to the Captain.  In an uncharacteristic display of public affection, Nash raised her hand to the Captain’s helmet, running her finger down the temple with a playful smile.

“No streaks.”  She said before turning to her datapad.  Brienne could not turn her gaze from her, a swelling in her heart forming as she looked upon her lovely future wife.  For the first time in her life, Brienne understood what happiness felt like.


	7. Meet Mom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain meets Nash's mom. Things predictably don't go predictably.

****Meet Mom** **

 

Brienne was in her quarters relaying her day with Nash and was annoyed when she realized the doctor was distant.

“Nash, tell me what’s wrong.”  She said.  Nash did not take her directness personally.

“We have a problem.”  Nash answered.  The Captain raised a brow.

“What kind of problem?  With the crew?”  She responded.  They were now up to forty crew members in a short amount of time.  There were bound to be problems with the sudden influx of new soldiers.

“Worse.  It’s about Kaja.”

“What about Kaja?”  Brienne asked.  They were on their way to the planet and would arrive after a quick jaunt on Jakku in two weeks.  Brienne didn’t care where they got married but it was important to Nash to be married on her home world and she went with it.

“My mother knows we’re going to be there.”  Nash replied.  The Captain felt her blood run cold.

“Did you tell her?”

“No, when I applied for the marriage license she happened to come across it.  It’s public record.”

“How could she ‘happen’ upon it?”  The Captain practically demanded.

“Calm down, this is not my fault.  She must have had my name on an alert.”

“Why would she put your na-…?”

“Why not?  She’s probably worried I’m dealing drugs or synthesizing dangerous steroids.  I ran out on my government job to run mercenary missions and won’t answer her questions with the straight-forwardness she’s used to.  No wonder she had my name on alert.  She was probably expecting it on an obituary.”

“What does she know?”

“She knows I’m getting married to Captain Phasma.”

“Not Brienne Tarth?”

“We discussed this.  I didn’t want people tracing your name through me.  Why would I put your name on public record?”

“When did you talk to her?”

“She got a hold of me this afternoon while you were on the training deck.  It was…uncomfortable.”

“What did she say?”

“Well, she’s very conflicted.  On the one hand she’s always been excited about me, her only daughter, getting married, but on the other she is pretty upset that I’m marrying a soldier.  A very infamous one at that.”

“Infamous?  I’m not infamous.”

“You have a controversial history.  You’re not going to deny that.”  Nash replied.  She could see Brienne was uncomfortable with this.  On __Starkiller__  base they had gotten used to having a secret affair but later, When Brienne showed more interest in something long term, Nash had made it clear she did not want their relationship confidential.  She understood Brienne’s discomfort of a public relationship, especially since the Captain had never been open with her previous ones, so they compromised by giving Brienne time to slowly work through her fears.  It was not something Nash’s mother would understand.

“Okay.  This is okay.”  Brienne said, clearly trying to alleviate her own distress.

“There’s one more thing.”

“What.”

“She wants to meet you.  Before we have the ceremony.”  Nash said, pursing her lips together uneasily.  All the blood drained out of Brienne’s face.  “And she wants my brothers there.”  Brienne slumped onto the bed in a fetal position.  Nash rubbed her back to keep her from hyperventilating.

 

 

One day before the ceremony, the __Nautilus__  arrived on Kaja.  In the earlier weeks, Brienne had spent an inordinate amount of time coming to terms with the inevitable meeting but there was no way for her to really prepare.  In the past, when Brienne wanted to learn something such as fighting or reading or technology, she would practice at all hours, spending all her free time becoming an expert on the subject.  The best she could do was pretend Nash or some of the droids were Mrs. Otana Lyoka, and she would hold a discussion with them, however she was woefully inept at small talk and worse at cordiality.  Though she had finally picked up a few good habits and some intense emotions ever since leaving Parnassos, it was still quite obvious that she did not have the same upbringing among the upper class of the galaxy.  She was not just a destitute outcast, but one from an apocalyptic planet.

“We’ll make it quick.”  Nash assured her.

“Do I have to take off the helmet?”

“No!”  Nash said a little too loudly before clearing her throat and softening her voice.  “No.  It’s fine if you wear it but I’d rather you didn’t have your armor.”

“What should I w-…?  
“The black cloak is fine.”  Nash replied.  Brienne noticed Nash seemed as nervous as she did and it made her both relieved and more nervous.  Did that mean Nash was afraid the Captain would embarrass her?  Or did it mean Mrs. Lyoka made everyone nervous?

They disembarked the __Nautilus__.  The entire crew knew why they were going but they also had not been invited to the ceremony, which none of them took personally.  The Captain was not a sentimental person.

Unlike many areas of the galaxy, most people in Kaja were not used to masked people.  In a land where everyone was fit, healthy and beautiful, it was not something they were prone to.  Nash and the Captain took a hovercab to the grand apartments were her mother lived.  They sat in silence, staring out the window while the droid cabbie took repeated glances at the Captain questioningly.

Brienne did not feel nervous before a battle.  All her life she disciplined herself, fine tuning her fighting techniques until they were first and second nature.  She did not feel nervous when her helmet was off.  She chose those moments and she did not wear it enough for her to feel as though an extension of herself was missing if her mask was not on.  She did not feel nervous when Nash was upset with her.  It would have unnerved her on __Starkiller__  base but now she was quite secure that the love of her life would stay by her side, even after having tried to kill her at one point.  She did not feel nervous in front of a crowd.  She had made many off-the-cuff speeches in front of battalions of storm troopers, clans, raids, and other large groups that she managed to sway with a few savvy words.  Brienne did not feel nervous about getting married.  There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to be eternally locked with Nash.  There was no way there was anyone better out there either for her or anyone else.

Brienne was nervous and it was making her sick.  She had no real experiences to draw from.  Even going from Parnassos to the First Order had not made her nervous because it was just something that happened.  At this moment she would rather fight a rancor with her bare hands than have to meet Nash’s mother.

The hovercab pulled up to the building and Nash directed the Captain inside.  They went up to the fortieth floor, walked down the hall to a door, then Nash breathed out heavily before pressing the doorbell to the side.  The door opened almost immediately to a handsome woman of approximately sixty years of age, hair of entirely gray, tanned skin and purple eyes aglow with the sight of her daughter.  She looked like an older Nash.

“My sweet girl!”  The woman exclaimed as she took Nash’s face in her hands and kissed her repeatedly on her cheeks.

“Hi, mom.”  Nash said in the whiniest tone Brienne had ever heard from her.  Otana kissed again before releasing her daughter and then looked directly up into the Captain’s visor.  Brienne was glad Otana was unable to see the uneasiness in her eyes though the way the woman glared at her she wondered if maybe she could.

“So…this is the Captain Phasma I’ve heard so much about.”  Otana said, her tone riddled with conviction.  Brienne would have normally been offended but her nerves caused her to remain silent, glancing at Nash for help.  “Couldn’t show your face today?”

“Mom, let’s just go inside.”  Nash said pushing her mother into the room.  The Captain reluctantly followed her, not feeling welcome at all.

“I’m just asking about the helmet, that’s all.”  Otana assured.  “It would be nice to know who’s marrying my daughter.”

“You know all about the Captain.  Everyone does.”

“Do we?  Why wear a cape?  Is Phasma your real name?”  Otana asked.  This time she was nice enough to sound less assaulting.

“Mom, I told you.  There’s a history she has that only select people are privy to.”

“And I’m not one of them?  We’re family now.  That doesn’t give me allowance?”

“Even the crew of our ship doesn’t know.”

“And people put up with that?  Do you even know?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Well, Captain, or Phasma…which one do I even use?”

“Captain is fine.”  Nash told her.

“At least I know where you’ve been the last fifteen years and when you were born.”  Otana replied.  Brienne turned her head to Nash, shooting her a glance.

“When was I born?”  She asked Nash.

“Remember that conversation we had about a month ago?”  Nash said in a hushed tone.

“Ah!  She speaks!”  Otana said, throwing her hands in the air as if thanking the gods.  “But did you forget?  How do you not know what day you were born?”

“It’s a long story.  How would you know her birth date anyway?”

“On the marriage license.  That’s about all the personal information I have for the Captain is from a slip of paper that’s half-filled out.  Surely your real name is not really Captain Phasma?”

“Mom, it’s one of those things that is not anyone else’s business.”

“Why so secretive?  Are you a condemned fugitive?”

“Mom!”

“I’m just trying to understand.”

They were cut off at the sound of the doorbell.  Otana ran to get it.

“I thought we were meeting my brothers later!”  Nash inquired of her mother.  She got no answer but was immediately suspicious, especially when her mother squealed delightfully at whoever was at the door.  Nash turned to look and then groaned irritatedly when her mother came back in pulling a rather confused looking man by the hand.

“Nash, you remember Japhe Henn…”  Otana said.

“Yeah, hi Japhe.  Sorry you got roped into this.”

“I was told to drop off a silver alloy sample that you wanted.”  Japhe responded.  His eyes finally lit upon the Captain and they widened dramatically enough that Brienne thought they might pop out of his head.  After his initial shock, Japhe glanced from Nash to her mother, back to the Captain and then did the round again, his mouth open but speechless.

“Oh, and this is the Captain.”  Otana said.

“I know!  I recognize the helmet!”

“Really?  We just had it made a little over a month ago.”  Nash surmised.

“It was on The Capital Channel.”  Japhe replied.  “Apparently you did a contract for Hosnian Prime?  It was on the news because of the work you did for the republic.  Everyone was raving about the new armor, especially the helmet.”

“See, Shrapnel?  I’m glad we got you a new uniform.”

“Wow, Captain Phasma!  How do you know Nash?”

“We’re getting married.”  Nash said, grabbing onto the Captain’s arm happily.  It made Brienne incredibly uncomfortable the amount of public affection she was showing.

“Really?”  Japhe said incredulously.  “Congratulations!”

“Yeah, okay Japhe.”  Otana said shooing him away.  She was clearly not getting the results she wanted.

“Oh, okay, bye Nash!  You’re my nephew’s biggest role model, Captain!”  He shouted as Otana pushed him back out the door.

“Well, he was always a little weird.”  Otana said as she came back.

 

 

Nash and the Captain were ushered down to the hovercar where Otana continued to grill Nash and Brienne.  When she wasn’t questioning, she was rambling on about Nash’s past.

“Imagine my surprise when I saw you were getting married.  I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.  Couldn’t let your mother know?  I’ll admit I was surprised to hear you were going to marry a woman.  I had always thought you had a strong preference for men.  You and Flint were always like that.  Chasing after the boys.  Imagine my surprise that it was someone famous!  I’m not sure I was thrilled about hearing it was someone of your caliber, Captain.  I’ve seen some of your footage.  People say you’re good at what you do.  But is that all?  You just fight?  That’s it?  Do you do anything else?  I’ve always said a good cook can get anyone.  I hope you cook for my daughter.  You better not direct your skill at my daughter or there will be hell to pay.”  Otana rambled.  For once Brienne thought she could be bested in battle.

“Anyway, Flint and his husband are having a girl.  Did you hear about that?  Are you going to have any children?  I don’t know if I want my grandbabies raised on a freighter ship.  Were you raised on a freighter ship, Captain?  Oh, right, I’m not supposed to ask about your personal life.  It’s going to be hard to get to know you if we’re not allowed to ask anything.  Am I not even allowed to know what color hair you have?  Do you even have hair?  Sorry, I forgot.  Have you talked to Jestu lately?  He’s another one of my children that doesn’t tell me anything.  I swear, the oldest and youngest children are the most troublesome.  Nash was very stubborn as a child.  I guess Jestu was too but he was mostly just putting his hands where they don’t belong.  I’m glad he got rid of his gambling addiction.  Who knew that could be an addiction?  Speaking of addictions, Gallen is addicted to Anthum tree seeds.  Eats them like they’re candy.  I haven’t seen him eat anything else in a year.  Ah, here we are.”

The vehicle stopped in front of a large lakeside home where Flint and his husband lived with their three children, soon fourth.  Flint had married into a rich Kajian family that had made their fortune by developing a lake cleaner that the Kajian government employed to decontaminate the previously worsening environment.  They got out and headed for the back of the house, droids all over acting as butlers and maids.  A CP unit came up and addressed them.

“Ah, Mrs. Lyoka, how wonderful to see you again.  Oh!  And Dr. Lyoka, a nice surprise.  Might I have the name of your guest?”  The droid asked.

“This is Captain Phasma, CP-21.”  Otana told him, as she walked past him towards the gardens.

“Captain Phasma?”  CP-21 repeated in surprise.  “Oh, my.  I have heard of such an individual.”

“We’ll just be in back.”  Nash told CP-21.  The Captain followed, feeling her dread heighten as the moment she would be meeting Nash’s family way more in advance than she had wanted.  She swallowed hard as she walked out into the sunshine, the backyard a paradise of lakefront beach, surrounded by tall sprawling peach trees and green grass past the sand.  A group of people were all congregated around a table full of food, laughing gaily and enjoying the company.  Brienne had seen pictures of such picturesque lifestyles but had never witnessed one in person.  It was like stepping into a holofeed of an idyllic home.  It almost seemed unbelievable.

The group turned and cheered when they saw Nash, a few of the children running to her with outstretched arms.  It was the most beautiful group of people Brienne had ever seen grouped together.  Even for Kajian standards, the Lyoka family had an impressive set of genetics.  The group came together in a hug leaving the Captain to stand alone to the side.  The sun was not especially harsh that day but the Captain was sweating more than reasonable.

Nash beckoned for the Captain and she came by her side, never more uncomfortable in her life.

“Hey, everyone, this is the Captain.”  She said.  She began pointing out everyone and giving their names but Brienne was hardly focusing, wishing to get rid of the giant lump in her throat and the pit of her stomach.  When introductions were over there was a distinct call of her name.

“Hey, Captain!  Catch!”  One of the older children said.  He threw a ball at her.  Brienne had plenty of time to react but she had no idea what or why this child was throwing a ball at her.  She stood stock still as the ball hit her helmet on the temple and then rolled off onto the ground.  There was a moment of silence before Nash picked up the ball and threw it back to the child.

“Run along, Orsen.”  She said.  The Captain could feel the stares around her.  She had somehow failed some kind of test and now everyone was quietly judging her for it.  Brienne cursed herself for her relatively new amorous disposition that put her in this predicament.

While most of Nash’s brothers and their spouses came up and said hello to the Captain, none of them seemed interested enough to retain a conversation.  That was fine with Brienne who felt the less said, the better.  She was looking around when she spotted a man that she had not met, straggling behind the others, though her HUD singled him out instantly.

“Nash.”  The Captain whispered, elbowing Nash though she was so tall she practically jabbed her shoulder.

“Yeah, sorry, we’ll leave in a minute.”  Nash whispered back.

“No, who’s that?”  She said.  Nash looked in the direction she was facing and shrugged.

“My oldest brother Jestu.”  She replied.

“He’s wanted by the First Order.”  The Captain stated.  Nash gave her a look before glancing around, hoping no one heard her.

“What for?  Also, the First Order is decommissioned.  That would mean he wasn’t wanted anymore.”  She whispered hoarsely.

“Generally if someone is wanted by the First Order they’re wanted by other authorities as well.  Apparently he may have some knowledge about a gang called the L’oreth Basooka.”

“Let’s not bring this up right now, all right?”  Nash asked.  The Captain decided that was probably for the best though she could tell that Jestu was in as much a nervous state as she was.  Perhaps more.  He bit his fingernails and darted his eyes uncontrollably.

“I am not addicted to Anthum tree seeds, mom!”  Brienne heard Gallen say loudly in frustration.  “You keep buying them in bulk for me because you think I like them.”

“I swear that’s all I see you eat, Gallen.”

“I’m literally eating a crayfish spice roll in front of you, mom!”

There was a man dressed quite nicely that appeared from the back door.  He was clearly not Kajian but he was quite good looking and had a pleasant charm about him.

“Hello?”  Flint said as he greeted the stranger.  “Can I help you?  Where’s CB-21?”  The Captain was focused on Nash and barely heard the greeting from behind her.

“Oh, your droid was most helpful.”  The man replied.  Without a moment’s hesitation he pulled out a pistol and shot it at the group.  The blast hit the Captain square in the back and she fell forward on the grass, pounding into the ground helmet first.  There was screaming everywhere as everyone was suddenly rounded up by a mob of pirates that filed out of the house and gardens.  The man blew on the tip of his pistol before holstering it.

“That was easy.”  He said.  “I thought she would put up more of a fight.  Perhaps twenty men was unnecessary.”  The man sauntered down the steps towards everyone, the twenty men holding guns to the twelve Lyoka family members as they huddled together in fear.  Nash stared down at the prone Captain who had not moved since she was shot.

The man came to Jestu, giving him a pat on his cheek.

“You pulled through, Jestu.  I doubted your claim at first but you were right, we got Captain Phasma.”  He smiled.  “Though, I’m rather disappointed in her performance.  I almost wonder if it’s really her or just an imposter.”

“It’s really her, Calden.”  Jestu replied hastily.  “My sister used to work on __Starkiller__.  That’s how they know each other.”

“Jestu, you lying sack of Sarlacc shit!”  Nash cried out.  “I never worked on __Starkiller__!  This isn’t really the Captain, you fool.”

“What?”  Jestu responded with terror in his eyes.  “Mom said you were marrying Captain Phasma!”

“I just said that.”  Nash said sheepishly.  “It made me feel important.”

“Oh, my god, Nash!”  Jestu exclaimed.  “You were always such a drama queen!  I should have known you’d do something like this!”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”  Nash demanded.

“Shut up!  Both of you!”  Calden shouted.  “Are you telling me this isn’t Captain Phasma?”  He asked pointing to the figure face first on the ground.

“That’s what I’m saying.”  Nash replied in a low tone.  Calden stared at her until he deduced she was telling the truth.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”  He said.

“Please, there are children!”  Otana exclaimed.

“Shut it, old lady.”  Calden said, touching his pistol to his chin in thought.  “Well, Jesto, it looks like you’re still in debt.”

“Oh, Jestu, are you still gambling?”  Otana asked, clearly disappointed.

“Gambling?”  Calden laughed.  “Is that what you tell your mother?”  He clucked his tongue. “If she only knew.  Looks like you just put your family at the Basooka’s mercy.”

“No!”  Jestu pleaded.  “Please don’t hurt them!  They had nothing to do with this!”

“That’s not up to me.”  Calden replied.  “That’s up to their new masters.  This one will fetch a good price despite the age.”  He said cupping his hand under Nash’s chin.  She flinched her head back angrily, pulling her face out of his grip.  “Gotta pay your debts, Jestu!”  

Calden turned to the Captain and kicked her side.  There was no movement.

“Hmm…let’s see the imposter, shall we?”  He tried to pull her over on her back but was having trouble.

“Hey, Konrad!  Help me with this, will you?  It may not be the Captain but she’s just as tall.”  A man came over and together he and Calden flipped the Captain over on her back.  Calden put his hand to the mask, ready to pull it off when the Captain’s hand suddenly grabbed his wrist, snapping it in one smooth motion.

Calden screamed in horror as the Captain kicked up and into Konrad’s face, his nose instantly broken, blood streaming down his chin.  Nineteen other men with guns who were not trained to be responsive stood in shock until the Captain jumped up, grabbing Calden’s pistol from his holster and firing it at the nearest pirates.  With amazing precision she shot the blasters out of three of their hands.  The rest scattered, finding cover and firing at the Captain.  The Lyoka family all ducked when Nash pulled them down and crawled under the table.

The Captain drew their fire away from the Lyoka’s, rolling as she ducked from one cover, fired then rolled to another.  Her cape flew with the wind, making her look like a floating apparition.  She grabbed a bowl from off the ground that someone had dropped and threw it at one of the pirates.  It hit him square in the forehead, knocking him out cold.  The Captain ran to the fallen man, dodging blaster shots as she slid into the cover, grabbed his blaster and fired towards the others.  Shot after shot she hit the blasters out of their hands, some of them already fleeing away from the fight in abject fear.  She grabbed another and punched him in the gut, causing him to double over then she kneed him in the head.

“Shoot at the goddamned family!”  Calden yelled over the gunfire.  Captain Phasma sprinted to the family as the last few pirates directed their aim at the group.  They fired just as the Captain jumped in front of them, absorbing the shots in her cape.  Nash could feel the blowback the Captain was receiving from the force of the blasts.  The Captain reached for a butter knife off the table and threw it at one of the gunmen.  It struck him in the shoulder and he dropped his gun and yelled in horror at the knife sticking out of his arm.  The Captain then grabbed a fork and threw it at another.  It struck him in the leg, tongs embedded through his pants, all the way into his muscle and he fell with a hideous scream.  The Captain picked up a spoon.  The last gunmen dropped his gun and ran away.

“Come back you cowards!”  Calden shouted as he held his wrist painfully.  “She’s not really the Captain!”

“You really think so?”  The Captain asked him, standing tall over the Lyoka’s who were still huddled behind her as a group.  She walked towards him until Calden pulled out another pistol from behind his back and aimed it at her.

“I don’t know but let’s see you dodge this!”  He fired point blank at her helmet.  With a calm tilt of her head, the blast went sailing into the air behind her.

“You missed.”  The Captain replied as she walked towards him.  Calden went wide-eyed, his fear mounting as he shot at her again.  She simply ducked the first one, side-stepping the next.  When he went to fire again she slapped the pistol out of his hand and pulled him to his feet.

“Exactly what did you have in mind when you thought to capture me?”

“The Kerrasian system wants a legendary fighter in the battle ring!”  The words poured out fearfully.

“Ah, so you were going to sell me to a gambling establishment.  Hmm…How much am I worth?”

“Two million credits!”

“Really?  I’m surprised as this is the first I’m hearing of it.  Nash, did you know about this?”

“If I had, wouldn’t I have told you?”  She surmised.

“Yes, that’s true.  Well, I’m not sure what to do.  I don’t think I can get the same exchange for you in the Kerrasian system, Calden Jin of Jakku.”  She said.  Calden gave her a stunned look.

“How did…?”  He began before the Captain tightened her hands around his collar.

“Retained my First Order HUD.”  She said tapping her helmet.  “You’re wanted.”

“What?  You really are the Captain!”  He exclaimed.

“You would doubt me even now?  I just made your minion run off because I picked up a utensil.”

“She said you weren’t!”  Calden pointed to Nash accusingly.

“I know.  I heard her.  She’s quite resourceful.  Very quick thinker.  You know what, let me tell you about her.”

“Wha-…?”  Calden gave her an odd look before being forced to listen.

“Her name is Nash.  Beautiful, isn’t she?  Well, Calden?  Don’t you think she’s beautiful?”  The Captain dug her fingers into his neck.

“Yes.”  Calden croaked.  “Very beautif-…”  He was turning red, the veins popping out of his head.

“Just a surface observation of who she really is, though it’s an accurate reflection.  She’s a medical doctor.  Did you know that?”  The Captain asked, shaking Calden until he answered.

“No.”  He squeaked out.

“Then you probably don’t know that she started out as an emergency field medic at only seventeen.  Became chief of medical on a large star destroyer before thirty.  Commander of the science division on __Starkiller__  at thirty-three.  Discovered a heterogenous metal after digging out shrapnel from a patient’s side.  I bet you didn’t know any of that.”  The Captain didn’t wait for an answer this time.  “I think you would be surprised to discover that three years ago she was a horrible liar.  She couldn’t even lie well enough to save her own life, and she certainly tried.  But she’s managed to escape the __Starkiller__  explosion, the __Supremacy__  destruction, war on Kaja and was on the mission that ultimately brought down the First Order.  She’s saved countless lives, commanded thousands of officers, battled hundreds of foes, entered perilous territory, walked through planet wide marshes, scaled rocky cliffs higher than any skyscraper on Kaja, faced against Sith Lords and tamed one very horrible monster.  Since then she’s gotten better at lying.”

Calden was still in the Captain’s tight grasp but he was clearly confused about this direction she had taken.  Like everyone else, he had heard that the Captain was hardly verbose and he didn’t know whether this sudden surge of words was a good or bad sign.

“My point is that she’s one of the most beautiful, intelligent, forgiving, extraordinary women you’ll ever set eyes on and just so happens to be the woman I will be marrying tomorrow.”  The Captain hoisted Calden up so that he hung a few inches in the air.  He cried out fearfully, eyes darting, mouth wide in surprise.  “So you would imagine my anger when I hear you threatening to sell her to a disreputable master.”  The Captain stated through clenched teeth.

“I wasn’t really going to!”  Calden declared in terror.  “I was just trying to get him to pay up!”  He pointed at Jestu.  Jestu looked to the Captain in fear, wondering if he was next.

“His mother will deal with him later.”  The Captain replied.

“You’re damned right I will.”  She responded, shooting Jestu a furious glance.

“What are we going to do with this one?”  The Captain asked Nash.

“Is he the only one still conscious?”  She asked.

“Everyone’s out but that one near the table.”  The Captain answered, tilting her head to the goon lying face up, eyes closed, sprawled out like a dead body.  He made no movement but everyone could hear him emit a high-pitched wince, knowing he was caught.

“Well, like you said.  They’re probably wanted by other authorities.”  Nash said.

“The Naboo courts are looking for him.”  Jestu was quick to add.

“You’re a traitorous scu-…ugh!”  Calden wheezed as the Captain pinched her fingers into his neck.

“What would you like me to do, Mrs. Lyoka?”  The Captain asked flatly.  “I can take him to the Kajian authorities where we’d have to make a report on today’s ambush as well as on Jestu’s involvement, or I can take him and his men to other authorities and collect the reward, which would be used to pay for any damage to this property.”

“Naboo!”  Flint’s husband answered excitedly.  Flint cocked his head at him, a brow raised in confusion.  “What?  We all know the Kajian authorities are soft on gang affiliation and I don’t want people hearing about what went down here.  Also, damages paid for?  Yes, please.”

“As much as I want Jestu to learn from this, I don’t want him going to prison.”  Otana surmised.

“I’d rather those guys get placed in a Naboo prison than a Kajian one.”  Gallen said, stroking his mustache.

“Do I get a say in this?”  Calden asked.  The Captain threw him down to the ground.  He yelled in surprise, grunting in pain as he hit the pavement.  “Ouch!  You are such an asshole!” Otana came over and kicked Calden in the leg.  It wasn’t hard enough to hurt but enough to make Calden feel more alarmed than he already was.

“That’s my daughter-in-law you’re talking to!  You better shut up if you know what’s good for you!”  Otana shouted.  She turned to the Captain and gave her a nod of approval.  The Captain nodded back, a broad smile hidden beneath the mask.


	8. New Hire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain goes walking around without a helmet.

****New Hire** **

 

Brienne noticed that Nash was overworked more than usual.  The Captain was used to sleeping only four hours a day but Nash was not and the lack of sleep was beginning to show.

“Maybe cut down on your projects?”  Brienne supplied.

“Would you cut down on your training?”

“Ah, no, I see.  How about we delegate the day-to-day to Willis?”

“I like doing the dailies.  It’s the only way I get to work with the soldiers.  You work with them everyday.”

“Yes, but maybe not do it everyday?”

“That’s not something that two people should handle, otherwise I’d just have to communicate it to Willis and things will get lost in the exchange.  Honestly, it’s the damned books that’s taking up the bulk of my time.”

“The finances?  There is literally no one else on this ship that could do it.”  Brienne stated.

“Yes, but I’m barely keeping it up because I’m busy with other things and because I’m not an accountant.”  There was a solid pause before Nash spoke again.  “What if…?”

“Are you going to suggest we hire an accountant?”  Brienne sighed.

“I know how you feel about that…”

“That’s crossing a line into our group.  If we get an accountant we might as well hire an HR rep.”

“Well, an HR rep wouldn’t hurt either.”

“No!  We’re not doing HR.  The last thing I want is some nosy woman breathing down my neck about how I hurt someone’s feelings.  I hated that _Starkiller_  ombudsman.”

“Well, she probably hated you for as much trouble as you gave her.”  Nash laughed.  “Do you remember when she asked you to kill less people and take more prisoners?  Haha!  Her face when you told her she would be first…”

“So, we’re agreed.  No accountant.”

“I said no HR.  We need an accountant.”

“This is how business’ go bankrupt, you know.  The accountant siphons off the money and runs off at the first chance.”

“First of all, no one would dare do that to you.  Second, how do you know that’s not what I’m doing?”

“You wouldn’t dare do that to me.”  Brienne smiled, the noticeable uptick to her lip as she grabbed Nash by the wrists.  “You’re under arrest.”

“Ooh!  You caught me!  Whatever shall happen?”  Nash laughed while Brienne slipped her mouth along hers.

 

 

The word got out that Captain Phasma was looking for an accountant.  To her utter astonishment, applications began flowing in from all sectors of the galaxy.  There were just as many accountants applying to the mercenary group as there were soldiers.  Nash went through them, settling on twelve applicants, and interviewing them one by one.  She was surprised when two of them were in the vicinity of the ship and insisted on coming in for a meeting.

“Hey, I want you to sit in on one of the interviews.”  Nash told Brienne.

“Why?”

“I think you’ll be interested in her.  She’s from Endor.”

“Is she an Ewok?”

“No, Brienne, she lived on the Empire shield base.  Apparently, her father was an engineer.”

“Hmm…that’s not all that interesting.”

“You didn’t read her resume.  Just sit in for a few minutes.  She’ll be here at ten.”

 

Brienne was there in full uniform.  Tanithi Walker came strolling in, a woman of medium build, about thirty years old.  Brienne could see why Nash wanted her in on this meeting.  There was a scar running from Tanithi’s neck all the way up her cheek and ended somewhere in her hairline.  Upon seeing the Captain, Tanithi practically threw up her hands in excited surprise.

“I didn’t think you’d be here!”  She exclaimed.  “I mean, I was hoping but I-I just didn’t think t-…”

“My wife asked me here.”  The Captain interrupted.  “Please, have a seat.”

The interview went well.  Nash asked Tanithi many questions that Brienne didn’t care about in the slightest.  The reason Nash wanted Brienne to sit in was because of Tanithi’s extensive war experience, having served in the Resistance in the outer realm.  She had also been the accountant during her service while fighting against the First Order.

“So, as you can see, I handled the donations and budgeted for the war demands.  Mostly X-Wings and medical supplies.  There was always a never ending need for toilet paper too.  A lot of people get sick in the outer realm.”

“You’ve been out there several times, right Shrap-…er, Captain?”  Nash asked.

“Yes.”  The Captain said.  She had barely said a word throughout the interview.  She could tell Nash was getting upset.  There was something about this girl that struck the Captain in the wrong way.

“Oh, so you probably know what I’m talking about.”  Tanithi said.  The Captain merely shook her head.  Tanithi looked to Nash questioningly but Nash glared at the Captain in irritation.  There were a few more moments that Nash continued the interview before the Captain had to excuse herself.  For some reason her fist wanted to make firm contact with that scar on Tanithi’s face.

Brienne knew she was being unreasonable.  She just couldn’t shake the feeling.  She went back to her quarters and took off her armor.  The rest of the crew were on excursion to the planet they were docked at and Brienne could walk the halls without concern of being seen.  First she stopped at the computer near her door.

“Are there any crew members aboard the _Nautilus_?”  Brienne asked.  There was a quick ping and then a voice responded.

“Two members.  Captain Phasma and Dr. Lyoka.”  It responded.  Brienne went out and was immediately accosted by Double-8.

“Ah, Captain!”  Double-8 hailed her with his ridiculous droid fake hands.  Brienne always wondered why this particular droid had to look like a human with a stick up it’s ass.

“What is it, Double-8?”

“There’s a human on board that is not part of the crew.”

“Yes, I know.”  Brienne replied, though she was surprised the interview was still continuing.  “Dr. Lyoka will see that she is taken off board soon.”

“But, Captain…”

“Don’t worry about it, Double-8.”  The Captain waved as she left the unit in her dust.  She had been practicing that particular phrase for about a month now and was pleased to finally get a chance to use it.  She always liked how dismissive it sounded in a colloquial setting.

Brienne rounded the corner and stopped cold when she saw an unknown man wandering the corridor with a confused look upon his face.  She was about to turn back around but it was too late, he had seen her and waved her down.  

“Excuse me!”  He said in a polished tone.  “Might you be able to tell me where I can find Dr. Lyoka?  That blasted droid has gone off and I don’t think this is the right area.”

It occurred to Brienne that this might be another candidate for the accountant position.  She hadn’t known about him because Nash knew she wouldn’t care but it would make sense to have them interview on the same day.

“Conference room one.”  Brienne answered after a brief pause.

“Ah.”  He said, looking around in dismay.  Of course, he didn’t know where that was.  Brienne sighed and gestured to him.

“Follow me.”  She said.  He did so with no complaints.

Somehow Double-8 had led him to the opposite side of the ship so Brienne was going to have to walk him all the way back through the corridors.  He was silent so she found she didn’t mind so much but at one point she turned and saw him straggling behind, his eyes wide in amazement.  She had led him past hangar four, the doors to the overlook were open and he could see over the entire hangar just from inside the corridor.  Brienne stopped and he did too, almost like he expected it.  She was puzzled by his expression, like he had never seen a ship like this before and it occurred to her that maybe he hadn’t.  He looked abashedly at her, asking a silent question and she raised her arm towards the door, allowing him to go in.  He walked in and stood at the window of the overlook, gazing over all the transports and shuttles.  It reminded Brienne of how Nash used to hang out in the overlook at __Starkiller__.

Brienne now had a chance to really look at him.  He was short, perhaps late thirties or early forties, medium build for the most part with skinny arms and legs but paunchy in the middle.  His reddish brown hair was thinning and he wore clothes that looked too big for him.  This was not a type of person that Brienne had really known in her life.  She only knew soldiers or officers of either really high or really low drives.  This man was squarely average.

“I apologize for the delay.”  The man said.  “It’s just I’ve never seen a twin ion shuttle with interlocking blaster array in person before.”  Brienne’s brow shot up.  That was the purchase she had begged Nash to allow her six months ago.  She didn’t know what to say but it seemed the man wasn’t waiting for one.

“That transport looks like it might be a P233 transition model X-class.”  He said, pointing to the ship sitting on the left.

“XT-class, actually.”  She told him.

“Ah.  Must have been expensive.”  He smiled.

“Would you like to see the main hangar?”  Brienne asked him.  His eyes lit up.

 

Inside the main hangar overlook, the short man was practically in awe.  He pointed at the AT transports, decommissioned by the First Order that Brienne picked up for cheap.  He was interested in the new redesigned TIE fighter ships that the First Order had ordered but had run out of money and Brienne snatched them up as soon as her third contract was fulfilled.  Brienne never spoke a word, allowing the man to point out the various interests and relaying the information he knew about them.  He was not at all the type of person Brienne would have labeled a weapons geek.  After showing him the hangars, Brienne walked him to the meeting room where Nash was with her hovering droid that often accompanied her around the ship.

“What time is it, Iris?”  Brienne heard Nash ask the droid.

“The time is eleven seventeen, Doctor.”  It answered.  Sensing a presence, Nash turned and saw Brienne escorting the man down the hall.  Her eyes went wide in shock, mouth dropping open at seeing Brienne without her armor.  Brienne indicated to the man to keep going as she loudly declared to Nash.

“The Captain will be joining you in a moment.”  She was able to see Nash greet the man and shoot Brienne a confused look before Brienne hustled back to her quarters.

 

“Ah, Captain.  Nice of you to join us.”  Nash said as Brienne, now fully armored and helmeted walked into the meeting room.  She could tell by Nash’s tone that she was annoyed.  “This is Tobin Skelli of Farragal One.”

Now that was interesting to Brienne.  She turned and shook Tobin’s hand, her HUD pinpointing him immediately as Tobin Skelli - Accountant level four.  Another pique of interest that he was already labeled in her First Order database.  He seemed pleased to meet her though not excited like Tanithi had been.

“A pleasure.”  He stated in his posh accent.

“Were you on Farragal One during the siege?”  The Captain asked him.

“I was.”  He answered.  “It was trying times, indeed.”

“You are aware that I was part of the First Order when it invaded your planet, are you not?”

“Yes, of course.  Everyone remembers the day Captain Phasma came down to the planet and single-handedly took out an entire Farragal army with just one platoon.  At the time you were not even known, so imagine our surprise at seeing a chrome trooper.  We call that ‘Black Day’.”

“Huh.  I’m afraid I had never heard of Farragal One until I saw it on your resume.”  Nash said looking rather flummoxed.

“I can’t imagine you would have.  We’re a small planet in the Pyntheon sector.  The First Order took our resources to build more ships though.  It’s practically demolished now.  I don’t believe anyone lives there anymore.”

“So you were a society of miners?”

“No, actually, we made droids and computer components mostly.  It was also beautiful and isolated enough to be a resort planet for the very wealthy.”

“Huh.”  Nash answered.

“What did you do after Black day?”  The Captain asked.  Nash thought her use of the phrase might be rude in front of him but he seemed nonplussed by it.

“I worked for the First Order.  I was already a licensed accountant at the time and they were snatching up anyone who could do numbers.”  That at least explained his data entry in her HUD.

“Where were you stationed?”

“First Hosnian Prime and then Coruscant.”

“So the luxurious areas of the galaxy.”  The Captain stated.  Tobin nodded his head.

“No star destroyers, no off planet bases.  They kept me in the capital banks with the rest of the number monkeys.”  He laughed.

“Are you still on Coruscant?”

“No, after you kidnapped the Supreme Leader Kylo Ren off Krighton, Coruscant kind of went mad.  I figured it wasn’t safe now that you, Captain Phasma, were eradicating all remaining bases so I left.”

“Where did you go?”

“I was immediately offered a job back in the Pyntheon sector close to my home planet.  Dynyth.”  He replied.  Nash put a hand to her head and groaned.  It was no wonder he was looking for a job.  Not two months ago they had raided Dynyth after being contracted out by the dictator.  There had been a civil war that the dictator had wanted abolished but after investigation the civil roots went deeper than they had realized and it had collapsed the economy after the assassination of a few key members.

“Hmm…”  The Captain said.

“So, anyway, I found myself without a job and happened to come across your notice.”  He responded cheerfully.

“I’m surprised you would apply.”  Nash said.

“Why not?  A position on a giant ship of mercenaries, away from the snobbery of the capital, traveling the skies with no real destination.  It sounded quite interesting.  I do understand your hesitation, however.  Rest assured, I don’t feel you are obliged to hire me based on the direction my life took due to possible consequences of the Captain.”

“She did destroy your planet, your government and your last commission…”  Nash replied.

“Yes, but I doubt she had me in mind when it occurred.”

“You’re not here to kill the Captain, are you?”  Nash asked somewhat seriously.  Tobin laughed and shook his head.

“No, I don’t know how that would be possible anyhow.  If it is any consolation, I don’t feel personally targeted by the events.”

“If you could kill me, how would you do it?”  The Captain asked.  Nash glared at her with wide-eyes, wondering what the hell was going through her mind.  Tobin hardly seemed effected by it.

“I’m not sure.”  He responded seriously, his eyes narrowed and flicking to the ceiling.  “It certainly wouldn’t be by blaster or combat.  Perhaps poison?”

“What kind of poison?”

“No idea.  I don’t know anything about poisons though I suspect I could find out.  You know, I’ve changed my mind, I think I would try an accident type kill.  I’d probably run a thermal reactor inside the cooling plasma of an ion engine.  I guess it would have to be one without thruster boost so perhaps on the XT-class shuttle in the hangar you have.  The problem is making sure it would be you using the shuttle at the time.”  He answered.  To Nash’s surprise, the Captain actually laughed, which not only was an odd thing to laugh at but a rare circumstance in and of itself.

“That’s a good one.”  The Captain responded.  “I think that would work.”

“Maybe if there weren’t so many problems with it.  Where would I get a thermal reactor small enough?  Also, how would I smuggle it into the plasma gel?  I’ve never worked around ion engines and my guess is I would electrocute myself before even getting the thermal reactor in place.”

“Hmm…my guess is the cameras would probably incriminate you as well.”

“Ah, right!  I guess I’d have to think harder about this.”

“Er, how about we get onto the interview, shall we?”  Nash asked, very much confused by the direction the conversation took.

“Certainly.”  Tobin replied, sitting higher in his seat.  Nash asked him various questions which Tobin answered with expert professionalism.  The Captain found she was intrigued by this little man for no other reason than he was an ordinary person willing to live an ordinary life around extraordinary people.  He wanted a taste of adventure but not the whole bite.  He wanted to live with his numbers in a non-simplistic way.  Inwardly, it made Brienne smile.

“Well, then Tobin.  Why do you want to come work for us?”  Nash asked.

“Apart from the other things I’ve already mentioned such as getting to travel and meeting new kinds of people, it’s honestly because I want to work for the winners.”  He replied.  Nash glanced up at him, scrutinizing his answer.  The Captain felt an instant connection.

“The winners?”  Nash asked.

“Sure, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but any side you’ve been on has been the one that wins.  Even when you were the First Order, you were on the winning side.  And after, on Battla, the winning side.  Even now, budding business less than three years old, it’s already at ship capacity and taking on planet sized armies.  Winning side.”

“We’re not exactly the good guys here.”  Nash admitted.

“I didn’t say the heroes or the good guys.  I want to be a part of the winning team for once.”

“Ah, I see.”  Nash replied, giving him an odd look.  “Well, thank you for your interest in the position.”

“Thank you for your time, Dr. Lyoka.  Captain.”  He acknowledged.  Brienne gave him a solemn nod and then he quickly departed with Iris showing him the way back out.

“I want to hire Tobin.”  The Captain stated.  Nash turned to her in absolute shock.

“What?  Why?"  She asked.

“You don’t think he’s qualified?”

“All the candidates were qualified.  That doesn’t mean I think he’d be a good fit though.”

“He’ll fit in.  He knows his weaponized vehicles and he just wants to crunch some numbers in space.”

“And that’s all you want from an accountant?”  Nash asked skeptically.

“That winning side comment…”

“Ugh, I never knew you’d be swayed by such pandering.”  Nash groaned.

“I’m pretty sure he was serious.  You know me.  I too like to be on the winning side.”

“What about Tanithi?  What’d you think of her?”

“No.  I do not care for her.”

“Really?  Why not?  She has actual battle experience.  I thought you two would have a lot to talk about.  Wouldn’t she fit in with the crew?”

“Doubtful.  I think she actually doesn’t care which side she’s on as long as it upholds certain… _ _beliefs__.”  The Captain said in disdain.

“Is that so completely unrelatable?  You believe survival is for the strong and yet here you are, getting married like a weak-willed plebian.”

“I married another strong survivor .  The amalgamation intensified my fortitude.”

“Oh, nice that I can be your blaster scope attachment.”

“More like my grenade rifle blaster attachment.”  She said as she bent over and hugged her arms around her waist.

 

Hours of insistence led to days of more begging and Nash finally relented on hiring Tobin.  He came aboard a week after his interview with all his personal belongings in a large suitcase.  He was followed by a gray BB droid, which Nash had already allowed for.  Corrin received him in the bay and showed him to his new quarters and his office on the science deck.  

The very next day they were to depart from the planet.  The Captain issued the command and they began lift off until there was a call from Tobin on her commlink.

“Pardon the interruption, Captain, but a most unfortunate circumstance has occurred.”

“What is it, Tobin?”  The Captain asked finding the interruption very strange.

“A lady with a large scar on her cheek just attacked me.  I’m not sure she’s part of the crew.”  The Captain ran to Tobin’s room.

 

Inside Tanithi was lying prone and unconscious, a black smudge on her temple from where Tobin’s BB unit zapped her.

“How did she get in?”  The Captain asked Nash.

“Beats me.  Why did she attack Tobin?  Jealousy?”  Nash replied.

“I don’t believe I was the target.”  Tobin said.  “I happened to see her entering a conduit and I asked her why she didn’t take the turbolift when she suddenly lunged at me with a knife.  Well, I ran to the only place I know in this ship, which is my room and she managed to follow me in.  BB-12 shocked her when she knocked me down and tried to stab me.”

“I’m taking her to the brig.”  The Captain said, which was a polite way of saying to an interrogation chamber.

“All right.”  Nash said.  She turned to Tobin.  “Good work.”

“Certainly, Doctor.”

“I hope this hasn’t turned you off of the job.”

“On the contrary, very few things have been as thrilling.”  He answered.  Brienne could not have been more pleased with his response.

 

After a few tense hours, the Captain found that Tanithi had entered the ship as a guise to understand it’s structure.  Her objective was to plant a tracker and a detonator, causing the ship to be rundown while her cohorts killed the crew, raided the inventory and sold the Captain to a disreputable gambling trade.  The detonator had to be planted after leaving the planet due to lift off checks discovering it before take-off.

 

“Great, now we have to hire security.”  Nash said later in their quarters.

“All we need is one guy and about a dozen droids.”  Brienne concurred as they ate in their quarters.

“This is getting absurd.  At this rate, we’ll need a bigger ship.”

“Or we could get another ship and we could have an armada.”  The Captain said pensively.

“I’ll ask Tobin if it’s in the budget.”


	9. Oops, I did it again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain meets someone from her past and tries to make the same mistakes over again.

****Oops, I Did It Again** **

 

There was a shuttle headed towards the _Nautilus_  containing the son of a wealthy politician who had the unfortunate circumstance of being such an asshole as to enrage the entire planet in which is father was elected governor.  Luckily for him, his father had the money and cared enough for him to contract out Captain Phasma and her two ships of mercenaries to act as bodyguards until the planet-wide anger subsided.  Nash greeted the shuttle as it docked into the bay.

“Welcome to the _Nautilus_.”  Nash said as the young man disembarked.  He was perpetually distracted by his surroundings, his eyes never making contact with Nash’s.

“This ship looks old.”  He replied.

“The Captain purchased the ship brand new six years ago.”  Nash answered.

“Yeah.”  The young man of maybe twenty nodded.  “Old.”

“I remember you were not in the conference during the contract negotiations.”  Nash responded, taking a different tone with him.  “This is not a luxury liner.  We’re just keeping you on board until the death threats die down.”

“I know.  My dad told me.”

“Then you should know you’re on a mercenary ship.  This ship is made for war.  You will abide by the rules or the contract is void and you will be sent back to your planet with no other protection except the faltering wit you possess.”  Nash stated directly.  The young man finally looked at her, first with surprise then with mild contempt.

“Yeah, whatever.  My dad already told me.”

“I’m not sure your father has actually prepared you.”  Nash told him though she could see her words were already lost.  She told him to follow Basta to his temporary quarters.  The young man was accompanied by a flying droid and an orange Gungan that seemed shorter than any Gungan Nash had ever known.  She rolled her eyes.  She found Gungans to be very annoying.  The shuttle pilot also stepped out, removing her helmet and coming up to Nash, surprising her with a salute.

“Lieutenant Commander Lyoka.”  The pilot said.  “My name is O’Dare Jento.  I served the First Order when we were both stationed on the _Invictus_.”  Nash shot up her brows, now realizing the woman indeed looked familiar.

“It’s just Doctor Lyoka now.  I remember you.  You were a major then, weren’t you?”

“I was.”  O’Dare smiled.  “I was the shuttle pilot for you when you went to your conferences on Coruscant.”  The woman was easy to remember.  Nash had noted that there was a haunting beauty to the woman, her long red hair and green eyes were quite rare in the galaxy.  She had a happy cadence that attracted many of the other First Order crew as well as a clear model body that could not be hidden beneath the drab olive garments of the First Order uniforms.

“Yes, that’s right.  I recall you flew the shuttle to Hosnian Prime as well.”  Nash added, walking so that O’Dare fell in step.  “Weren’t we the only ones on board?  Didn’t we play Three-tier chess?”

“We did!”  O’Dare laughed.  It was a very nice sound.  “I couldn’t win to save my life.  I should have known better than to play against a medical doctor.  Especially since you were on your way to speak in front of the Galactic Science Committee about your discovery.”

“I should have been practicing my speech.”  Nash laughed along.  “Yes, that was one of the better flights I’ve had.”

“Thank you.  I have to admit, when I heard Stolk was going to be aboard the same ship as you, I was quite envious.  They asked for volunteers to come with him and I did right away, even though I’m not fond of the boy.”

“Well, I’m glad you did.”  Nash smiled.  “Tell me what you’ve been up to since the First Order.”  Nash learned that O’Dare had first been stationed on the _Reverence_ before the _Invictus_  and then applied to transfer to _Starkiller_ but was denied.  She was bummed at first until the explosion and then she went AWOL about thirteen months later after the upper echelon of the First Order was clearly unqualified.  She found her way back to her home planet, which happened to be Stolk’s where she found a job as a shuttle pilot with the government.

“I’ve been there about four years now.  It’s all right.  I used to really love working for the First Order until it went crazy around the time _Starkiller_  was destroyed.”  O’Dare summarized.

“Yes, as you’ve noted, I went AWOL too around that time.”

“Yes, I heard you were on Kaja and that’s when I found out you were still alive.  It was also a catalyst for my own jump from the First Order.  I figured if you were out then things were really getting bad.”

“The General did not promote confidence.  I had managed to find evidence of other matters that caused my departure.  The triumvirate of _Starkiller_  was run by three people all under forty years of age and only one of them was experienced enough to understand the responsibilities.”

“I assume you mean Captain Phasma.”

“I’m obviously biased though.”

“As her wife, understandable.”

“The Captain was stationed on the _Reverence_.  Have you ever met her?”

“Informally.  She was on my shuttle a few times but often with a mix of other officers.  I have never personally spoken with her.”

“Some find her intimidating.”

“Admittedly, she seems that way but I also remember she was quite professional and excellent at her job.”

“Yes, those are definitely the words to describe her.  Perhaps you’d be interested in joining the officers table tonight for dinner?  We can make a more formal introduction then.”  Nash stated.  O’Dare’s eyes practically popped out of her head.

“Yes!”  She said before calming herself.  “That’d be nice.  Thank you.”

“Great!  Eighteen hundred hours.  Officer’s mess hall.  One of the droids will direct you there.”  Nash told her.  O’Dare thanked her again and then parted ways, the pilot led by a droid towards her quarters.

 

 

The Captain generally did not eat with her crew.  She either ate dinner in her quarters with Nash or she left every few hours of the day for exactly ten minutes to fill up on something that would replenish her energy during her intense training regimen.  Occasionally Nash would ask her to join the crew at dinner because there was someone she wanted to make her acquaintance and so the Captain arrived in the officer’s mess hall at the appropriate time.  Almost everyone was already there including Nash and O’Dare.  As soon as she entered the room, the officer’s stood at attention until the Captain sat down at the head of the table, then everyone else fell at ease.  Everyone knew the Captain was often poor company and was only there at the request of her wife and so there was little socialization with her, most of them simply ignoring her unless she specifically called them out.

Nash had O’Dare sit beside her so that they could speak with the Captain, or at least while she was around within earshot.  The first thing Nash did as soon as the Captain was seated was ask about the birthday card.  The second was to introduce her to the pilot.

“Hey, did you sign Krellen’s birthday card yet?”  Nash asked the Captain.

“Yes.  It was a waste of time.”  She answered with little emotion.

“It took you twenty seconds.  A little appreciation goes a long way.”  Nash replied.  “Also, this woman beside me is a former First Officer shuttle pilot.  She was stationed on both our ships when we were aboard so maybe you might remember her around.  Captain Phasma, this is O’Dare Jento.  O’Dare, meet the Captain.”  Nash introduced pleasantly.  O’Dare was quick with a smile as she shot out her hand to shake with the Captain.  The Captain stared a few seconds at O’Dare before slowly inserting her hand into O’Dare’s and giving a mild shake.  Nash thought maybe the Captain was trying to process O’Dare’s face, to see if she was familiar or not but Brienne had a photographic memory and it seemed odd that she wouldn’t recall having been on her shuttle.  O’Dare seemed to sense it and she glanced at Nash in confusion.  Generally the Captain’s etiquette was much improved since her First Order days and it had been a while since Nash had to remind her how to be polite, but her reaction to O’Dare made Nash both impatient and perturbed.

“I take it you don’t recall O’Dare having been your shuttle pilot?”  Nash offered.  The Captain was slow to respond again.  She cocked her head and then hesitantly shook it, like she was in a daze.

“Oh, sorry to hear it.  I definitely remember you.”  O’Dare replied.  The Captain made a minute motion so tiny that Nash almost missed her sitting up straighter very suddenly.

“Do you?”  The Captain asked uncertainly.

“Of course.  No one could forget that chrome uniform.”  O’Dare answered.  The Captain’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly.

“Ah.”  She replied.

“It was magnificent up close.  I think the holofeeds didn’t do it justice.”  O’Dare continued.

“I agree.”  Nash nodded.  “I remember those holofeeds like they were yesterday.  It’s one of the funny things I miss about the First Order.”

“Me too!  I’m sure you get to watch the Captain in her element all the time but I wish I could see them again.  It was mesmerizing.”

“Like watching a fire, right?”

“Exactly!  And just as destructive.”  While Nash and O’Dare continued to talk about their First Order days, the Captain seemed bent on confining herself to the background, watching the two strike up a rapport again after almost ten years adrift.  For twenty minutes Nash and the pilot talked together, like they were old friends, the camaraderie instantaneous like it had been on the _Invictus_.  The Captain said absolutely nothing.

“But that’s all in the past.”  Nash declared at one point.  “At least I managed to meet up with the Captain again.  Isn’t that right, Shrapnel?”  She asked, tapping her on her forearm.  The Captain barely moved.  Nash ignored her.

“Yes, I’ve read all about your mercenary group.”  O’Dare said.  “I’m quite impressed and, well, I was really hoping to speak with you on a more personal note, if I may?”

“Certainly.  What is it?”

“I was wondering if you were hiring any shuttle pilots.  I can fly transports, single engine and twin engine crafts.  I also have experience flying in battle zones.”  O’Dare began.  The Captain twitched suddenly but only Nash caught it.

“You want to work for us?  For Captain Phasma?”

“Yes.  I sent applications twice but I never heard back.  I assumed you were either inundated with applications or there was a reason you were tossing them away.”

“It’s true we get a lot of requests to join the crew, however if I had seen yours I would have certainly brought you in at least for an interview.”  Nash admitted pensively.  “I’m not sure what became of them and I apologize for the inconvenience.”

“No bother.  I saw the opportunity to ask and took it.  I would hope if there was a reason for dismissing my application that you would let me know.”

“Certainly, though there’s definitely none that I know of.  It just so happens there is a possible opening in the near future.  I can see about it tomorrow if you wish and perhaps I can give a more definite answer.”  Nash replied.  The Captain suddenly shot up, startling Nash and a few others in the vicinity.

“Nash.  A word.”  She said as she strode out of the mess hall.

“Uh, excuse me.”  Nash apologized as she followed her out the door.  O’Dare glanced around her, the other officers giving her shrugs of bewilderment.

 

“What the hell is wrong with you?”  Nash asked the Captain sharply as she followed her into the adjoining room.  They were standing in a pantry room, surrounded by canned goods on floor to ceiling shelving units.

“We can’t hire her.”  The Captain responded cryptically.

“What the hell do you mean by that?”  Nash demanded.  “And take off that helmet.  I can’t stand when you hide under that mask while making off hand comments.”  The Captain pulled off her helmet, her gold hair matted to her head, blue eyes piercing into Nash’s.

“I don’t want her in this group.”  The Captain said, again her tone withdrawn.

“Why not?”

“I’ve had sex with her.”

Nash’s jaw dropped.  She stared wide-eyed at Brienne in complete shock.  A long moment passed before she could voice her outrage.

“That’s the pilot you cheated on the Major General with?”  She replied flabbergasted.  Brienne groaned inwardly, eyes meeting the ceiling.

“I didn’t know I was cheating at the time.”

“Yeah, yeah….did things differently on Parnassos…I’ve heard your excuses.”  Nash dismissed.  “Remind me again what happened.”

“It was at that time I began to understand sexuality.”

“Late bloomer, right.”

“Armitage thought it would be a good idea to have me be both Captain Phasma and Commander Tarth.”

“Okay.”

“One day I noticed the pilot being overly friendly.”

“Her name is O’Dare.”

“Fine.  Having recently realized I was sexually unpracticed and as she was quite attractive, I allowed her to flirt with me.”

“Oh?  You allowed it?”  Nash antagonized.

“Nash, please, this was over ten years ago and I now understand what I did was wrong.”

“Fine.”

“Anyway, she asked me to her quarters.  We had sex.”  Brienne said.  Nash waited for more but Brienne seemed to be done.

“Is that it?”

“Well, I told Lannis later that day and was really surprised at how furious he was about it.”

“Yeah!  You cheated on him!”

“I didn’t know that at the time.  That’s not how it w-…”

“Was done on Parnassos.  Yes, as you’ve said.”

“I don’t like it when you get impatient with me.”

“We’re going to have to have a follow up talk about sexual ethics just to make sure we’re still on the same page.”

“I would never do that to you.”  Brienne replied.  Her emotional tone slipped and Nash could hear the hurt in her voice.  She immediately felt bad.

“All right.  Was it just the once?”

“Yes.  Only once.”

“Did she know you were also Captain Phasma?”

“I don’t see how she could.”

“Okay.  Then I think you’re in the clear.  Wait, are you still attracted to her?  I’m just wonderi-…”

“She is still attractive but I am not attracted to her.  It was simply because I was curious.”

“Hmm…I know you’re giving an answer that would satisfy your own agenda but if you could also please help me to understand in a way t-…”

“I need you and only you, Nash.  The need I have for you is a natural deterrent for taking outlandish risks with a person who I would not see fit in times of rescue.  I will not jeopardize my covenant for something that does not hold bargain over me.”  Brienne stated.  It sounded emotionless but Nash could tell by the flare in Brienne’s blue eyes that she was trying very hard to conceal her fear.  Nash narrowed her purple eyes at her and nodded.

“Okay then.”  She declared.  Brienne sighed in relief.  “She doesn’t know so let’s hire her anyway.”

“I’d rather not.”  Brienne huffed.

“Why not?  She wants a job here.  I like her enough to give her one.  She’ll be on the _Armada_  so your contact with her will be minimal and as much as I think it’s probably crazy, I trust you not to do anything out of character.”  Nash said.  She noticed Brienne looking to the ceiling again and Nash instantly knew what that meant.  “Oh, no, in hindsight you realized you fucked up again, didn’t you?  What did you do this time?”

“I was the one that had her transferred to the _Invictus_.”  Brienne said with total honesty.  Nash again dropped her jaw and gave Brienne an incredulous glare.

“Oh for…!  Anything else?”

“I saw her name on the _Starkiller_  possible transfer list.  I had it declined.”

“Oh my god, Brienne!  That is such an asshole move!”

“I might have saved her life.”

“Don’t pull that shit!  That was not the intent.  I wonder if you knew _Starkiller_  would have been so easily destroyed that you would have declined it.”  Nash said.  Brienne shrugged.  “We have a lot to talk about later.”

“I’m more empathetic.  I know it was wrong.  I wouldn’t do it again.”

“You’re doing it right now!  We’re standing in a pantry and you’re telling me not to hire her!”  Nash cried.  Brienne blinked once, realizing perhaps she had more to learn.  “Wait, did you throw out her applications to this group?”  Nash asked skeptically.  Brienne adamantly shook her head.

“Not at all.  You’re the one that goes through the applications.”

“Fine.  All right.  We’ve wasted a lot of time arguing in this pantry.  Let’s go back into the mess hall.  Act like you’re a non-emotive statue, so, you know, act normal.  But afterwards we are immediately going to our quarters and we’re going to exchange some words.”

“I will always go back for you.”  Brienne said sincerely, heavily inflecting her pronouns.  The genuineness in her voice made Nash pause, the anger in her temporarily subsiding.

“You’re still in trouble.  But I will go back for you every time.”  She answered calmly.  She then inhaled her lungs to capacity and exhaled sharply while Brienne placed her helmet back on her head.  Nash opened the door and the two made their exit.

 

 

“Sorry about the delay.”  Nash replied, all smiles.

“No problem.”  O’Dare answered.  “I hope everything is all right.”

“Yes, of course.”  Nash professed.  “The Captain just needed her helmet adjusted.”

“Ah, right, because you’re the only one on board that has seen her face.”  O’Dare nodded.  “Or so I’ve heard.”

“She likes her privacy.”  Nash confirmed.  The Captain sat down at the head of the table again, completely unreadable.  “Uh, anyway, as I was saying…what was I saying?”

“Possible job opening in the future?”  O’Dare said, her tone becoming hopeful.

“Ah, yes, we have a pilot stationed on the _Armada_  who has been hinting he would like to go back to his home planet.  I’ll talk to him tomorrow and see what his plans are and then I’ll follow up with you.”

“Great!”  O’Dare exclaimed loudly before softening her voice.  “I would appreciate that.”

“Sure.  No problem.  Hey, I wanted to ask you some more about your time on the _Reverence_.  I knew a few people who used to be stationed there.”

“Go ahead.  I can see why as the _Reverence_  and the _Invictus_  were grouped for the better part of a year.”

“Yes, I remember a very good looking man by the name of Lannis James.  Did you know him?”  Nash asked.  Beside her she heard the black leather glove on Brienne’s hand tighten.

“Certainly!  He was one of the most charming people I’d ever met!  He was a Major General at the time.”

“That’s him!  Such a good man.  I wonder what happened to him?”

“Last I heard he went missing after the battle of Laocha.  He’s presumed dead.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”  Nash answered in all genuineness.  The one encounter she had with him was enough to know he seemed like a good person.  Even Brienne insisted he was one of the better influences she had, despite not loving him the way he wanted her to.  “Well, what about Colonel Ky Theral?  Did you know him?  He worked in the labs at _Starkiller_.”

“No, though the name sounds familiar.  He’s probably been on one of my shuttles but I don’t think he was memorable enough.”

“There wasn’t much to him other than his love for phosphodilated omnivore plants.  He was just so fascinated by them.”

“No, sorry.  Don’t remember him.”

“Ah.  Oh well.”  Nash shrugged.  She then paused deliberately before speaking again.  “There was a Lieutenant General on _Starkiller_ by the name of Brienne Tarth.  Do you remember her?”  Nash could hear Brienne’s leather gloves tightening again, probably to it’s highest tensile strength.  Inwardly she grinned knowing this was humiliating to her and knowing she couldn’t leave without Nash’s wrath upon her later.

At the name, O’Dare’s smile faltered, her expression melting into quiet contempt.  It took her a few seconds to answer.

“Yes.  I remember her.  Though she was just a Commander at the time.”  O’Dare responded.  There was a tension that simmered around them.  Nash nodded knowingly and diffused it.

“She tried to kill me once.”  Nash stated.  Her declaration with no emotion attached clearly threw O’Dare off guard.  She responded by replacing her contempt with pure shock.

“Really?”  She asked incredulously.

“Yes.  She was obviously unsuccessful but I was still mad about it for a while.”

“As you should be.”  O’Dare agreed.  “Why would she attempt that?”

“Oh, I found out she tried to sabotage the thermal oscillator on _Starkiller._  She didn’t want me running to the General.”  Nash replied, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

“You’re taking it quite well.  How did you get away from her?”

“Well, to her credit, she didn’t seem to really get any enjoyment out of it.  I think she subtly let me escape before she could actually kill me.”

“How was she going to do it?  You don’t have to answer if it brings up bad memories or anything.”

“No, no, I’ve long gotten over it.  She asked how to make it look like someone overdosed on drugs and I stupidly told her.  She stalled for a while before she received a call and left me alone to escape.”

“Wow, that is really messed up.  What a horrible person.”

“Yes.  She was.  But she already knew it.  She was adamant that her giving me a painless death and then going through great lengths to shoot my body out of an airlock, thereby avoiding a humiliating discovery, showed how much she respected me.”  Nash replied.  O’Dare shook her head objectionably.

“I don’t know why that surprises me.  Sounds exactly like her, except for the respect part.  I didn’t think she respected anyone.”

“Ah, well, I think I managed to make a dent into her hard exterior.  I had a secret affair with her.”  Nash admitted.  Again, O’Dare’s eyes went wide.

“Oh my god!  You did?”  She questioned almost excitably.  “For how long?”

“Nine months.  Right before _Starkiller_  was destroyed.”

“That is insane!  I don’t know if I should be telling you this but I’m pretty sure it was Commander Tarth who had me transferred from the _Reverence_ to the _Invictus _,__ but that’s not nearly as interesting a story as yours.”

“Why would she do that?”  Nash inquired.

“I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”  O’Dare groaned, her hand covering her face in shame.  “I had a one night stand with her.”  

“You did?”  Nash professed unbelievably.  

“It was less than a week later I was transferred.  Could be coincidence.”

“I doubt it.  What are the odds?”

“Right?  I knew I shouldn’t have done that at the time but I am a sucker for tall blondes.”

“And there was no one taller or more blonde than Brienne.”  Nash agreed.  “Hang on, I remember her telling me about a pilot she had been intimate with.  That must have been you.”

“She actually talked about me?  I thought I might have been an intentionally forgotten piece of her history.”

“Well, she was trying to be a better person, especially when it came from matters of relationships.  She mentioned she had only been with a woman once before me and that she was a pilot.”

“Huh.”  O’Dare answered pensively.  “I wondered about that.”

“Oh?”  Nash laughed.  “What about it?”

“Well, she definitely seemed new to the neural fabricator experience.  I had to put it on her.  I don’t think she knew what to do with it.”

“That’s surprisingly sweet.”  Nash shook her head.  “It’s weird to know that she was basically just a naive asshole trapped in a killer body.”

“Yeah, I remember being really intimidated by her at first but I ended up being on a solo flight with her one day.  She liked to play navigator.  Always busy.  You remember.”

“Certainly.”

“And she happened to make a joke.  I don’t even remember what it was but I remember being totally caught off guard.  It took me a while to realize she wasn’t being serious because she was such a serious person.”

“I know what you mean.”

“Anyway, she had a hint of a smile and something about that one smile was so…I don’t know, it just made me feel very special.  I had never known her to smile at anyone else.  Anyway, I wanted to see it again and every time I managed to do it I got such a thrill from it.  By the end of the flight we were essentially making very bold innuendos.  Long story short, I asked her to my quarters.”

“I know which smile you mean.  It was like smiling from the side of her mouth.”

“Yes!  Exactly!  Like she couldn’t let her whole mouth smile or it would break!”  O’Dare laughed.

“Haha!  Exactly!”  Nash laughed along.  They were tickled for a while before O’Dare retained her voice.

“How did you get with the Commander?”

“She was the Lieutenant General at the time.  It was kind of the same way.  I was intimidated by her but one night she caught me at the officer’s dining hall alone and struck up a conversation.  She was surprisingly open with me and it made me feel like I was part of a very exclusive club.  This is going to sound weird but I remember wondering if she could read my thoughts.  She looked at me like she knew her stare was making me warm.”

“No, I know what you mean.”

“I found her to be a very attractive person and I think that caused me to let my guard down.”

“Ugh, I know.  She was so beautiful.”  O’Dare said.

“Unfairly so.”  Nash agreed.

“God, and that body!”  O’Dare exclaimed.  “I had no idea she was going to be so ripped.”

“Those hard muscles.  And her washboard abs…Fuck me.”  Nash went on.

“That fucking ass.”  O’Dare continued, though she shook her head at the memory.  “Like two ripe melons under a plush blanket.”

“Those sexy legs and arms…she could last for hours.”

“Oh, god, yes!  I completely forgot about that.  She had amazing energy.”

Both Nash and O’Dare were startled out of their thoughts by an abrupt clearing of a throat.  They turned to the Captain who sat with her arms crossed in front of her chest, having been forgotten.

“Ah, Shrapnel.  Right.”  Nash noted.  “Too much?”  She asked.  The Captain kept her arms crossed but turned her head away from them, sniffing snobbily in the air.  To O’Dare it looked like she was upset by Nash’s reminiscing but to Nash she knew that Brienne had enough humiliation for one night.

“Anyway,”  Nash went on.  “Needless to say, she had her flaws but I still fell for her.”

“Whatever happened to her?”  O’Dare questioned.

“Last I heard she went missing after the destruction of the _Supremacy._ ”  Nash answered.

“Hmm…That’s too bad.  Even though I was pretty sure she had done me wrong, I can’t quite be glad about her death.  I wouldn’t be surprised if she was actually alive somewhere in the galaxy, kicking ass and raiding ships.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it for a second.”  Nash agreed.

 

 

After dinner, Nash and the Captain retired to their quarters.  Nash entered, humming a little tune, followed by the Captain whose shoulders sloped and head bobbed low as she walked.  Nash began to undress, readying for her shower while Brienne sat down on the edge of the bed and slid her helmet off her head.

“I don’t appreciate being objectified.”  Brienne muttered while Nash went about her business.

“I bet O’Dare doesn’t either.”  Nash replied.

“I have never spoken about her or anyone else in that way.”  Brienne defended.

“That isn’t the only way to objectify someone.”  Nash responded.  Brienne stayed quiet and watched as Nash walked around like nothing was wrong.  She took her earrings out and slipped her dress off, stashing it into the laundry.

“Okay, fine, just tell me what I’m supposed to learn here.”  Brienne finally said.  Nash stopped and gazed at her, sighing in frustration.

“You use people all the time.”

“Not anymore.”

“Of course you do.  There are hundreds of people on these ships you would leave behind than rescue.”

“Because objectionally it’s the right thing to do.  I’m not sacrificing two for the sake of one.”

“I understand where you’re coming from.  I really do.  And I would be lying to myself if I were to say going back for Basta was the right thing to do.  However, when that happens, you don’t ever give them a second thought.  They’re not people to you.  They’re fodder.  O’Dare isn’t a person to you.  She was someone you could practice sex with.”  Nash told her.  Brienne listened though she was clearly uncomfortable, her eyes never making contact with Nash’s, instead trained on the floor in front of her.  Nash could see her fiddling with her helmet, desperately wanting to put it back on again.  She went back to readying for bed.  In the mirror she could tell Brienne was mulling it over in her head, over-analyzing as she usually does.

“Why did I have her transferred?”  Brienne suddenly asked.  Nash glanced at her and seeing she was genuinely puzzled by her own actions, shrugged.

“Perhaps you were ashamed you had wronged Lannis?  Perhaps you knew O’Dare figured you were green when it came to sexual relations?  Maybe you felt foolish for not having known what everyone else seemed to know?”  Nash surmised.  “I really couldn’t tell you, but I do know that you’re better than that now.”

“I have never been more embarrassed until tonight.”  Brienne admitted.  “I don’t think I would have felt this way ten years ago.  I question the strength of an empathetic mind.”  Nash sat down next to her and rubbed her back under her armor soothingly.

“Knowing how someone hurts is the key to understanding people.  The only way to really get it is to go through it.  Your strength comes in knowing how to be the best you can be for the people you care about and how to emotionally destroy those who cross your wrath.”  Nash said.  Upon her last words, Brienne glanced at Nash and smirked.  “There!  A smile.  Now you get it.”

“Not too much or my mouth might break.”  Brienne added flatly.

“And a joke!  You may be learning late but you at least learn quick.”

“I still don’t want the pi-…O’Dare on our ship.”

“I know you don’t, but you’re going to have to get over that.  If you really don’t want to then I will respect your wishes but I don’t think that’ll be good for you in the long run.”  Nash replied.  Brienne sighed and shook her head.

“I don’t know…”

“Was the sex really that bad?”

“Not at all.  It was pretty fun if I recall.”  Brienne said thoughtfully.

“Okay, are you trying to make me jealous?”

“No, of course not.”

“Are you saying you don’t have fun with me when we have sex?”

“Fun isn’t the word I would use.”  Brienne replied looking pensive.  “I would say it was more…exciting.  Intimate.  Sensual.”  She said, still looking for the right word.

“Orgasmic?”  Nash offered.

“Yes, actually.”  Brienne answered with a very provocative grin.  “But honestly, would you really be okay hiring someone who I’ve had sex with?”

“I’m fine with O’Dare.  I would not be okay with Lannis James, may his soul rest in peace.  And I would have to meet your prince of Battla to know if I would be okay with you around him again.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Well, I really don’t think you have all that interest in O’Dare.  She doesn’t seem like your type.  And after what you did to her, I don’t see her wanting to be around you either.”

“That would be true.”

“Lannis had a big influence on you and I remember how smitten he was when he came to see you while you were in a coma.  He’s also undeniably charismatic.  There would be too much connection between you two for me to be comfortable with.”

“Hmm…okay.”

“And as for the prince of Battla…”

“He was one of many princes.  I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Oh, I’m not judging you for getting into a relationship with him.  He sounds like a male version of you.  I’m not going to lie.  I’m quite curious about him.”

“Well, you’re never going to accidentally run into him.”

“Why not?  We could go to Battla and say hello.”

“I don’t think he’d appreciate that.  Especially as I’ve heard he’s in an arranged marriage that has produced three sons, one daughter and a lot of animosity.”

“Ah, so he might get jealous.”  Nash responded.

“I don’t want to go that far but he may resent that I’m married to a gorgeous Kajian doctor and found a living using my skill.  He’s always been attracted to beautiful, motivated women and proud of his warrior status.  I bet it kills him that there are no wars to fight and that his wife is a spoiled princess from a lesser planet.”

“You’re not quelling my curiosity.”

“Are you sure you want to hire O’Dare?  She might begrudge the fact I’m the one who…you know…”

“Used her for sex and then tossed her to the side?”

“That was unusually harsh.”  Brienne shunned.

“Yes, I’m sorry about that.  I did wonder about that but she seems to really want this job and I remember being quite fond of her when we occasionally worked together.  I have something she wants and I would really like to offer it to her.  I think we’re all a little more mature than we were ten years ago and so, I may be projecting, but I think she could handle that she’s unknowingly working for Brienne Tarth.  I mean, I got over the fact that you tried to kill me, so I bet she can deal with your dishonesty.”

“Wait, aren’t we being dishonest by not disclosing she’s working for me?”

“Eh,”  Nash shrugged.  “Let’s not get too ethical.”

 

 

The next day, Nash confirmed with her current pilot that he was ready to leave Captain Phasma’s mercenary group in just over a month.  Nash immediately approached O’Dare, offering a position which she accepted on the spot.  O’Dare relayed to her superiors on the planet that she would be resigning as soon as she brought back the governor’s son, Stolk, home.  Stolk was told later that day and was unreasonably offended by such an outlandish suggestion.  He and his Gungan approached O’Dare as soon as he heard, accosting her in the hangar where she was performing light maintenance on the shuttle.

“What’s this I hear about you betraying my father?”  He stalked.  O’Dare turned, surprised to see him talking to her.

“I have no idea what you mean.”  She replied.  She turned her back on him again but felt a large hand on her shoulder roughly turn her back around to face him.  The Gungan was a harsh orange with bulging eyes and horrible breath.

“I’m not surprised a whore like you falling on your knees in front of Captain Phasma.”  He snaked.  O’Dare was so shocked by his words she practically flinched back in disgust.

“What the hell are you talking about?”  She demanded.  The Gungan huffed out his nose, a warm spray of air and mucus shot out his oversized nostrils.

“Yousa traitor.”  It hoarsely whispered.  O’Dare had always thought Gungans spoke with hilarious speech but this time it wasn’t so funny.

“I’m busy.”  O’Dare replied through gritted teeth.  She tried to remain calm but she could not deny to herself she was scared of them.  She was fine with flying in dangerous situations but she had never learned to deal with confrontation and right now she felt a fear brewing that would not stop intensifying.  Surely this boy and his weird Gungan wouldn’t hurt her in the middle of a hangar owned by the greatest soldier in the galaxy, but no one would expect it too, which made it all the more possible.

“Fuck you, bitch.”  Stolk hissed.  “I thought you were cool but you jumped ship as soon as you could stroke that stupid Captain’s vag.  Or her wife’s.  Didn’t know you were an exclusive or I wouldn’t have been so nice to you.”  “O’Dare shot her brows up.  When had he been nice to her?  He was mildly cordial around her at best but he had never been nice.  And any kind words he had to say in the past only came across as inappropriate or manipulative.

“There are soldiers all over this place.”  O’Dare told him.  “I’ll scream.”  She said hoping it would scare him enough to walk away.  He merely laughed.

“So?  Do it.  My father’s got these goons in his pocket.”  He replied snidely as he approached her even closer, his mouth next to her ear.  “I like it when they scream.”  Stolk was suddenly yanked back by a grip bunching his collar.  He cried out in alarm before being turned around, Captain Phasma standing tall in front of him, even taller than the Gungan.

“Is there a problem here?”  She asked, the vocoder giving her voice an ominous echo.

“No.”  Stolk shrugged nonchalantly.  He appeared unafraid but his hands shook.

“O’Dare?”  The Captain asked, her helmet turning to face her.  O’Dare felt a burn in her veins.  She was embarrassed that she had to be rescued by the Captain barely a few hours after accepting a job in her group.  She was wondering if she should just let it slide but the Captain was intimidating and the truth fell out.

“They believe me a traitor.  I do not feel safe around them.”  She admitted.  The Captain cocked her head at Stolk and his Gungan.

“Traitor?  What gave you that impression?”  She asked.  Her tone did not sound curious.

“We never said anything like that.”  Stolk declared incredulously.  “She’s a liar!  Always has been.”

“Ah.  And I take it she would not be a good hire for this group.”  The Captain commented.  O’Dare was astonished.  She had wondered if the Captain had tried to talk Nash out of hiring her last night during dinner but now she felt more convicted.  She felt a seething hatred building for this person who often reminded her of Commander Tarth.

“Exactly!”  Stolk replied.  “Yes, that’s what I wanted to tell you but I didn’t think you’d believe me.  Now you have your proof.”

“Sheesa baaad lady.”  The Gungan answered.

“Hmm…Perhaps I should speak to Dr. Lyoka about this turn of events.”  The Captain figured.

“Yes!  You should do that!  And I didn’t want to tell you this either but you might as well know, she’s been sleeping with everyone around the city.  Biggest whore in the county.”  Stolk responded a little too happily.

“That’s not true at all!”  O’Dare said exasperatingly.  “I’ve been married for five years!  I wouldn’t cheat on my husband.”

“Her husband pimps her out.”  Stolk thumbed back at O’Dare.  She was ready to pummel him, her fists bunched angrily.

“I will let Dr. Lyoka know about all you say.”  The Captain replied with little inflection.  O’Dare had never been more pissed off and humiliated in her life.  She also felt helpless against this manipulative asshole and this closed-minded warrior.  She wondered why the Captain had it in for her.

“Good idea.”

“I’m glad we can agree because when she hears about this incident she will immediately null your contract and you will be shuttled back to your home planet with nothing but your urine soaked pants and your bloody Gungan.”  The Captain hissed as she came up close, bent over Stolk, her helmet centimeters from his face.  Stolk bent back in sudden terror, his eyes wide in alarm.

“What the hell are you talking about?”  He exclaimed fearfully.

“I heard what you said to O’Dare.”  The Captain answered, tapping the side of her helmet with one finger.  “She’s not a traitor, she’s not a whore and she’s not a liar.  Her name is O’Dare and I suspect you’ve got an unhealthy obsession with her for you to go through all the trouble to threaten her in this,”  the Captain pointed around the hangar, “my ship where I am the ruler.”

“My father will be upset with you wh-…”

“When what?  When he hears your actions jeopardized your safety?  Again?”  The Captain snarked.  She prodded her finger into Stolk’s chest.  “It seems you can’t learn.”  The Gungan swiped half-heartedly at the Captain

“Yousa not point at…Bwauaaaaaagh!”  The Gungan cried out as Captain Phasma grabbed his hand and squeezed it so hard O’Dare heard the bones snap.  The Captain kept her sight on Stolk as she one-handedly wrestled the Gungan into a kneeling position, the Gungan crying out painfully, fat tears rolling down its eyes.  With her other hand she pointed again into Stolk’s chest.

“You will be nothing if you don’t learn to behave.”  She said.  “Right now you are an inconsequential, selfish, piece of shit.”

“I know!  I’m a monster!”  He agreed with a yelp.

“No, not a monster.”  The Captain spoke clearly with malice in her tone, her helmet coming closer to Stolk as her words echoed.  “I’ve known many monsters and they’ve never been as worthless as you.  I’ve known monsters who were brave and intelligent, mature and resourceful, considerate and polite.  Monsters are big and impressive, intimidating and clever.  You are none of those things.  You’re an ant.  A bug.”  She held up her thumb to his forehead and pressed with minimal effort.  “I can squash you.”

Stolk’s fear was etched into his face, paralyzed in terror except for his bladder that decided at that moment to unleash the torrent of fluid down his drawers.  O’Dare stared in astonishment as she was both humbled and satisfied with this turn of events.  The Captain still had the Gungan groaning in pain and she shoved him down to the floor on all fours in the puddle.  She grabbed Stolk and pulled him down with the Gungan.

“Now clean up this mess.  You’re going back to your planet in an hour.”  She told them.  They looked around in panic, searching for something to use to clean up the urine.  The Captain jutted her finger towards their clothes.  “Your shirts will do.  Hurry and get it done.”

“Yessa, C-C…Ph-Ph-Phas…”

“Yes, C-Capta-…?”  They said, not knowing how to address her.

The Captain turned to walk away, her black armorweave cape making a gratifying swishing sound along her body armor.  O’Dare swallowed hard and fell in line with her.

“Uh, Captain?”  She asked, trying to gain her attention and not sure if it was wise.  The  Captain immediately stopped and turned to her.  “Thank…you.  For that.  I’m sorry-…”  The Captain raised her hand and O’Dare was silenced.

“I hear you’ll be joining our crew.  I’d like to be one of the first to welcome you.”  She said.  This caught O’Dare by surprise for even though the Captain had come to her rescue, she didn’t expect a sincere show of hospitality from her, not after last night.

“Oh!  Thank you.”  She replied.  The Captain nodded and turned again, making her way back to wherever it was she was going.  O’Dare was still puzzled though.  She called again despite it feeling against her better judgement.  “Just one more…thing.  Please, Captain?”

“Yes?”  The Captain asked as she stopped and looked side long at her.

“Um…monsters.”  O’Dare said.  “What makes them monsters?”  The Captain gave her a hard stare before walking back over to her.  O’Dare felt intimidated again, this tall, muscular person who had just scared the piss out of the most defiant kid she knew.

“I knew Brienne Tarth.  She served under my command on both the _Reverence_  and _Starkiller_.  I remember that she was intelligent and dedicated, an excellent officer with outstanding achievements and the respect of her peers.  But she was a monster who used people for sex and power, manipulated them to get to her position, hurt others because she didn’t understand nor try to understand common empathy.  She lied and killed and back-stabbed anyone who got in her way.  She saw emotions as weak and she erroneously believed everyone else was weak for it.  She had no loyalties and as a result any loyalties to her were false and eventually compromised.  She tried to kill my wife and I will never forgive her for that.”  There was a cold pause before the Captain spoke again.  “I’m truly sorry you knew such a person.”  O’Dare was speechless.  It almost felt like she was genuinely apologizing for Commander Tarth’s actions.  The Captain did not seem to be waiting for a response.  She nodded her head and turned away and all O’Dare could do was stare numbingly at her as she disappeared out of the Hangar.

 

The Captain had an uncanny way of calling it the way it would go down.  Stolk, indeed, left for his home planet with nothing but the urine soaked pants he wore and his crying Gungan.  The contract was voided citing ‘unwarranted aggression against a member of the crew’ for which the Captain kept half of the money.  O’Dare was allowed to bring her husband with her to live aboard the _Armada_ and she was much happier working for Captain Phasma than a bunch of government bullies and their spawn.  O’Dare had told her husband all about the encounter between the Captain and Stolk but she never mentioned that she had a budding suspicion that the woman beneath the armor was the woman she had bore a grudge against for the last ten years.  After all, how many other tall, muscular women with clipped accents served on the _Reverence_?  At any rate, she chose never to voice her hunch, rather accepting the heartfelt apology and acknowledging that the Captain was a changed person, the monster clearly having been bested long ago.


	10. Drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Faulty inventory makes inhibitions devolve. (Translation: The Captain gets shitfaced)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up a religion. Tyloman does not exist in the Star Wars universe.

****Drunk** **

 

“He’s drunk,” Cherris the medical assistant said.

“What?” Nash questioned skeptically.  “Are you sure?”  They were both looking at a man who was sitting hazily on the medical bed, his equilibrium off enough that he swayed back and forth with unfocused eyes.

“One hundred percent.  Kessin is drunk.”

“But Kessin is a Tyloman.  They abstain from all vices including alcohol.”

“Yes, I know, but this is what I found in his blood and he has a .10 alcohol rating.”

“That’s impossible,” Nash replied in perplexity.  “Kessin is one of the strictest Tyloman’s I know.”

“I don’t even know where he would get the alcohol,” Cherris confirmed.

“Kessin, have you been drinking?”  Nash asked him, speaking loudly.  Kessin shook his head.

“It’s Laddah day,” he said, slightly slurring his words.

“Oh, right.  That’s why he’s not down on the planet today,”  Nash replied.

“It’s Laddah day?”  Cherris asked.  “I should call my brother-in-law and wish him a happy holiday.”

“Don’t Tyloman’s fast on Laddah day?”  Nash wondered aloud.  Kessin nodded his head.

“Yep. (hic) No food or water for me.  Only meditation and (hic) rest.”

“Happy Laddah day, Kessin,”  Nash said.

“Happy Laddah day,”  Cherris repeated.

“Thanks. (hic)”

“How did he get drunk then?”  Nash again asked rhetorically.  “What did you do today, Kessin?”

“Uh…”  He said, trying hard to think.  “I got up, meditated, (hic) practiced in the training room, meditated, walked around the…the…what’s that thing that is like all, you know…?”

“The promenade?”  Nash supplied.  Kessin snapped his fingers.

“Yup. (hic) Promalahd.”

Except for his underwear, Kessin was naked.  The only other thing he had on was a hydropatch stuck on his bicep.  Nash peeled it off and sniffed it.  She then quickly held it away in disgust.

“Ugh!  That smells like this might be the culprit,” she exclaimed.  Cherris took it in her gloved fingers and waved a scanner over it.

“Yep.  It’s got some kind of concentrated ethanol laced in it.”

“How the hell did that happen?”  Nash inquired.  She went to the computer and typed in the inventory, noting the hydropatches were shipped in only two days ago.  They had arrived three days earlier than expected.  She grabbed another hydropatch from the same shipment and tore it open.  There was no immediate smell to it but upon inspection it also carried the same concentrated ethanol laced in the adhesive patch.  Nash opened more and found the results to be the same.  A sudden thought came to her.  She went to the computer.

“How many soldiers are currently in the _Nautilus_?”  She asked.  The computer responded immediately.

“Of the eighty-eight soldiers stationed, there are currently sixteen aboard the _Nautilus_.”

“And one of them is drunk,”  Cherris thumbed back to Kessin.

“And the reason they’re not down on the planet is because they’re our greenest soldiers without a platoon,”  Nash replied.  “But what choice do we have?”  Nash alerted the crew and within fifteen minutes she left five soldiers to guard the Nautilus and the rest were shuttled down to the planet where the Captain and the rest of her soldiers were currently holding off attacks made by packs of wild desert gorillas.

 

As soon as she disembarked the shuttle, Nash could see the squadrons were effected heavily by the hydropatches.  Many of them were already on the ground in a daze.  Most were either singing in tone-deaf camaraderie or fighting amongst themselves in dizzy contention.  Nash ordered the soldiers she brought to corral the others back into the transports while she searched for the Captain.  She found her stumbling with Basta and Willis, the three of them laughing gaily and trying to shoot at rocks they threw haphazardly into the air.

“Shrapnel!”  Nash yelled to her, trying to get her to stop when she spied them from afar.  The Captain whipped around at her nickname used only by her wife, but managed to catch herself off kilter and she fell to the ground in a wave of dizziness.

“Whoa!”  The Captain cried out in a slurred mess.  Willis and Basta doubled over in laughter.  Nash ran to them and shooed Basta and Willis towards the transports.  Before they left she ordered them to take off their hydropatches which they begrudgingly obliged.  Nash picked up the Captain and tried to lead her towards the transport but the Captain grabbed her around the waist and hugged her tightly to her tall frame.

“You came for me.”  The Captain said in a tone Nash had never heard from her.  It was a mix of disbelief and sentimentalism.

“You need to take off your hydropatches,”  Nash told her, trying to brush her hands off her waist.

“And you need to take off your clothes,”  the Captain replied.  Nash could hear the smile beneath the mask.  There was a stir within her loins that Nash was embarrassed to acknowledge.  She pushed the Captain away but the she was too strong and the Captain managed to grab onto Nash with unsteady hands, crushing her to her body in a tight hug.

“Stop it, Brienne,”  Nash reprimanded her quietly as she glanced in the direction of the transports, hoping no one was watching.

“Ugh, I love it when you say my name,” the Captain said dreamily.  “Say my name again.”

“I said stop,”  Nash pushed at her.

“Please?”  the Captain begged.

“Dammit, Brienne, you’re not helping.”

“Yesss…”  the Captain hissed.  “More.”  Nash grabbed at the Captain’s armor and yanked off the plate on her right arm.  She palpitated her bicep, searching for any hint of a hydropatch.  The Captain was taken aback.

“We’re doing this now?” she said in astonishment before shrugging and committing herself.  “Okay…”  The Captain grabbed at the buttons of Nash’s shirt, undoing them as fast as she could though it was hard to do when drunk and with thick gloves on.

“Stop it!”  Nash yelled at her, smacking her hands away.  “I’m trying to take off your hydropatches!  Where are they?”

“I’ll tell if you kiss me,” the Captain answered.  She dipped down and bonked her helmet against Nash’s face.  Nash clapped her hand to her cheek and glanced at the Captain in extreme annoyance.  “Whoops,” the Captain said in a tipsy way.  Her hands went to her helmet as she attempted to slip it off.

“No!  Keep your helmet on!”  Nash demanded.

“I want to kiss you,” the Captain replied.  Nash held her at arms length as she tried to drag her across the terrain towards the transports where she could see the other soldiers having as rough a time as she was getting everyone aboard.

“Not now,”  Nash told her.

“Please, Nash.  I’ve got to have you right now,” the Captain pleaded.

“Brienne, please…”  Nash admonished her.  She put her face to her helmet and whispered into her ear.  “Somehow we received a batch of tainted hydropatches.  Everyone is drunk and we have to get you all up to the _Nautilus_  before anything bad happens.  Please cooperate with me, Brienne because this is hardly a situation I ever thought I’d come across and I need your help.”  There was a silence from the Captain though Nash was sure she was staring into her eyes.

“Fuck, you are so gorgeous…” the Captain responded, her words coming out slurred but genuine.  Nash rolled her eyes and tried to drag her wife back to the transports but she yanked too hard causing the Captain to stumble and she fell, bringing Nash down on top of her.  Nash tried to wriggle away from the Captain but her hands were wrapped around her waist, holding her to her body in a loving embrace.

“Brienne…”  Nash said in irritation.

“Nash, my wonderful wife…” the Captain uttered.  Nash could hear kissing noises from inside the helmet.  She hated that she was feeling suddenly amorous over the situation she found herself in.  The Captain put her helmet next to Nash’s ear.

“I’m going to wrap you in my cape then lick every inch of your pussy,” the Captain whispered.  Nash stopped and stared into the Captain’s mask.  That certainly had it’s appeal.

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

A booming sound shot from the outer atmosphere and Nash looked up to see a large freighter had jumped out of hyperspace above them.  That couldn’t have been a coincidence.  She got up and pulled the Captain to her feet as streams of transports came flying out of the freighter.  Within moments they were on the ground, pirates rushing to cover and aiming blasters at the Captain.  Nash called York on her comm.

“York, do something!” she yelled in a panic.

“Like what?”  York returned in a static voice, equally as panicked.

“Shoot the freighter,” the Captain replied calmly.  She was behind Nash, bent over her and wrapping her hands around her waist.

“Shoot the freighter!”  Nash cried out.  From above she heard the _Nautilus_  cannons shooting and hitting the giant ship.  It fired back but it couldn’t hold against the newer _Nautilus_  with the upgraded shields and weapons.  It exploded once a missile hit it’s fuel supply.  The pirates below roared in anger and they began to fire upon the crew.  The crew returned fire.  Nash dragged the Captain to the ground and the Captain covered Nash’s body with her own.  The Captain was dinged with a few shots but nothing her armor couldn’t handle.  The blaster shots ricocheted off her like pebbles on a tin roof.  Nash was surprised to feel the Captain’s hands moving along her body, one hand rubbing her along her ass and the other tenderly massaging her breast.

“This is not the time, Brienne,”  Nash chastised her.

“Sorry,” the Captain said, moving her hand away from her breast but keeping the one on her ass.  “I can’t seem to help it right now.”

Well, try,”  Nash replied.  She called into her comm.  “York, were stuck between some pirates.  They don’t seem to be trying to shoot at the Captain so my guess is they’re here for the bounty.”

“Zee is setting up the drones.  They’ll be down shortly.”  York answered.  Within moments there was a buzzing sound as a hundred drones from the _Nautilus_  were released and sent to the surface of the planet.  They shot upon the pirates, taking them all out before ascending back to the ship.

“I should have had that readied in the first place,”  Nash mused as she stood up, the Captain following behind her.  They were surrounded by dead pirates.  It took another half hour to get the rest of the soldiers on the transports and back onto the ship.  As soon as they were aboard Nash had them all strip down, hydropatches removed, showered and given lots of food and coffee.  With the Captain, Nash had to put up with her incessant groping all the way to their quarters where Brienne threw off her helmet and kissed Nash repeatedly.  Nash pulled off her armor and body glove, slapping Brienne’s hands away as she attempted to roughly do the same to Nash.  As soon as the hydropatches were exposed, Nash peeled them off and threw them in the burner.  Brienne tried to bed Nash every second they were together until she dropped off in an alcohol induced sleep.  Nash was finally able to leave Brienne alone while she went to investigate the matter.

Nash and Cherris figured out why the shipment of hydropatches had come so early.  Somehow the pirates had intercepted the order and sent their shipment to the _Nautilus_.  They then called in a fake contract so that they could isolate the Captain onto a mostly empty planet.  With the Captain drunk she would be much easier to capture and her soldiers killed.

The next day most everyone had a hangover.  The Captain held her head in one hand as she stumbled along the corridors, nursing her headache.  She appeared on the bridge with Basta and Willis both groaning with complaints.  Zee and York laughed silently as they observed the Captain slumped in her chair, helmet toppled on her shoulder as her head was too heavy to keep upright.  Nash entered and shook her head.

“You’ve been in bacta tanks for lesser reasons,”  Nash told the Captain.  Brienne muttered something unintelligible.  “I believe this was your first foray into alcohol?”  She asked under her breath so no one else could hear.

“There was no alcohol on Parnassos,”  Brienne confirmed.  “There was no time or interest to imbibe while on duty in the First Order.  There has never been any reason.”

“Well, what did you think?”

“Ugh, awful.  I had no control over myself.”

“I quite liked drunk Brienne,”  Nash winked.  The Captain glanced at her and groaned in response.

“I acted badly towards you,” she said.  “I apolo-…”  Nash cut her off.

“No apologies,” she answered before coming in very close to her ear.  “You promised to wrap me in your cape later,” she whispered.  The Captain very feebly laughed.

“I did,” she whispered back.  “But it won’t be today.”

“Oh, I know,”  Nash said as she patted her leg and stood up.  “Tomorrow then,” she said aloud, leaving the bridge with a broad grin.


	11. Engage

 

****Engage** **

 

“What did you talk about with Kylo Ren?”

The Captain and her girlfriend were on a desert planet, backs against the raised rocky ledge on top of a cliff. The Captain was armored in her chrome uniform she had found on a First Order base a few months ago but it was covered in mud and dirt, which she had purposefully rolled in to conceal the gleam of silver. Nash was in simple fatigues that the Captain had found for her. They were currently completing their fifth contract after establishing CPMG as a legitimate mercenary group for hire.

“I’m not sure you’d be all that interested to know,” the Captain answered. She turned to look out over the summit, blaster scope raised to the dark of her helmets eyes, scanning the surface of the planet for any sign of movement. There was none and she dropped back against the rock, pushing her helmet onto her head so that it perched up enough that she could take a drink from the flask Nash carried.

“Why not? A Sith Lord and a famous storm trooper? You’re two of the greatest warriors in the galaxy. What do you guys even say to each other?”

“It isn’t very different from other conversations,” Brienne replied statically.

“Okay then, what was it you talked about?”

“I don’t know. It was just talk. What’s that idiom? Shooting the breeze? It was just that.”

“Are you serious?” Nash questioned skeptically, brow raised in disbelief. “For an hour you just talked about nothing?”

“Basically.”

“So you, what…talked about the food on Krighton? Talk about your latest kills? Maybe about how his hair stays fluffy even after wearing that mask for hours?”

“Is there a reason you want to know?” Brienne turned to her with a hint of irritation.

“I just don’t understand your relationship with him. Are you friends? I never saw you just hanging out with him on _Starkiller_.”

“I guess we’re friends, though it’s certainly not any friendship I’ve ever had.”

“Not exactly a friendship I’ve ever witnessed either. This is why I’m so intrigued,” Nash responded. Brienne placed her helmet back on her head and glanced out towards the horizon. There was nothing out there but a barren desert valley and she sat back down next to Nash, raising her helmet again.

“I think this has less to do with our conversation and more to do with Ben,” the Captain surmised.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t think you’ve ever liked him.”

“I’m not sure what that matters? Whether I do or don’t has no bearing on what it is you guys say to each other.”

“It matters because you seem to find any reason to hate him.”

“I definitely don’t hate him. You’re being dramatic, which isn’t your style.”

“How do you feel about him then?” Brienne challenged. Nash shrugged like this was a wasted question.

“I don’t know. He’s a Sith Lord. That’s all I really know about him.”

“Please, Nash, you are never short on opinions.”

“I don’t want to hurt your feelings.”

“You think anything you say about him will hurt my feelings?” Brienne smirked. “I’ll tell you what I think about him. He’s immature, unwise, perpetually annoying and has complex mommy issues. And those are his strengths.”

“Why are you friends with him again?”

“Of all the people I’ve ever met, he is the person who is most in need of a friend.”

“Really? That’s your motivation? Because that doesn’t seem like you.”

“Honestly, at first it was because he makes me a better soldier, but after spending a little time with him, I came to see how lonely he was; how deeply lost he could be. He is still young, and even though I’m at most only eight years older than him, he needed someone to look up to and I was the one he latched onto. He was practically crying for anyone to steer him away from the depths of depression. Snoke used the dark side to manipulate him and abuse him in ways I would never have thought possible. It’s hard to see someone so desperate for guidance and so misunderstood by everyone that he would find solace in a monster like me. I like to think my discipline actually reduced the number of tantrums he displayed,” Brienne replied.

Nash held her head low, shame shrinking her size. “Ah. I see,” she said after a long pause.  

Brienne grabbed a piece of dry meat, chewing it with long gnashing strides of her sharp jaw, completely unaware of the remorse Nash was feeling until she glanced at her and saw the redness to her cheeks and the downcast eyes.

The Captain sighed. “We talked about his mother,” Brienne stated. Nash slightly raised her head, glancing up at her girlfriend through thick, dark eyelashes. “And you. We talked about you.”

“Me?” Nash inquired. There was a tremble that ran through her heart that Brienne would talk about her to someone else.

“Ben wanted to know what was between us. I told him the truth.”

“Ummm….and what is that?”

“Do we have different versions of the truth?”

“No, but I just want to hear your version anyway,” Nash responded, glancing away with a smile, hoping Brienne did not sense her excitement.

“I told him that we had an affair on _Starkiller_ base for nine months. He was pretty shocked he hadn’t noticed anything between us until that last night when I asked him to keep me company at the gala. He had thought that was the first time I’d shown interest in you.”

“He probably had a lot on his mind those days. I’m sure he would have been hard pressed to notice anything.”

“That’s actually what I said to him.”

“What else did you tell him?” Nash asked, unable to hide the grin growing across her face.

“I told him that I tried to kill you.”

“I bet he was hardly surprised.”

“On the contrary, considering I brought you with me to confront him, he was greatly surprised.  I think the Force had allowed him to sense the emotions between us right before he was set to decapitate me.”

“He killed his own father though and by all accounts he loved him.”

“Yes, I realize that doesn’t make sense but Ben is not a rational guy.”

“True. What else?”

“Well, he asked me if we would stay together after everything. I told him I would do everything in my power to keep you by my side.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you.”

“Yes. I know.”

“What else?”

“You think there’s more?”

“You have that look in your eye.”

“What look?”

“The look that says there’s something you want to say but you don’t know how to say it because you grew up emotionally sheltered.”

“I have a look for that? That is oddly specific.”

“What I just heard you say just now is that I’m not wrong,” Nash smiled. Brienne glanced at Nash with an uptick to her lips, shaking her head in confounded embarrassment.

“Perhaps.”

“So tell me. What else did you tell him?” Nash asked excitedly, leaning closer to Brienne.

“You have an amazing way of making me feel very vulnerable.”

“Tell me, Brienne!” Nash begged. Brienne sighed and cocked her head away, rolling her eyes skyward before returning her blue eyed stare towards Nash.

“I told him that what I wanted most in the world was to make you my wife,” Brienne admitted with more than a note of embarrassment. Nash paused in stupor, jaw dropping in shock before recovering by closing the distance between them, her mouth eagerly catching Brienne’s in a plethora of solid, wet kisses. Nash kissed Brienne until her weight had pushed Brienne down the rocky wall and they were in the dirt with Nash pressing her tongue into Brienne’s mouth with shameless fervor.

“I accept,” Nash declared after she jolted back up, wiping the dirt off her fatigues. Brienne stared up at her in disillusion, chest heaving and eyes dark, before slowly pushing herself back into a sitting position against the wall.

“Is this the story of how I proposed?” Brienne asked.

“If you’re dissatisfied, we can stage another proposal.”

“No, this is fine,” Brienne chuckled. “It’s probably more my style than anything else.”

“We’re going to have to go get rings soon. I want something to signify our enga-…I see something!” Nash cried out, quickly ducking behind the rocks. Brienne slapped her helmet onto her head and glanced out from behind the wall, her sniper blaster rifle raised to her eye, the crosshairs of her scope targeting on the dust kicked up kilometers away down in the desert valley. It was the hunter they had been waiting for; the one their contact had paid for capture. There was a stillness in the air as Brienne waited patiently for the perfect shot, simple quick calibrations to her weapon made every few seconds as she aimed her rifle. After a tense minute, there was a single thunderous crack slicing the silence and Nash, through her quadnocs, watched the hunter fall off his moving landspeeder onto the dirt below. The Captain and her girlfriend hopped into their own landspeeder towards the location of the fallen hunter.

He had been knocked out by the fall, the clean blast of the laser had pierced right through his shoulder. Brienne cuffed him and fireman carried him to the speeder with minimal effort.

“We’re five for five contracts now,” Nash said as she helped situate the, quite frankly, stinky man into the trunk. “I think we’re doing pretty good for our first year.”

“I agree,” Brienne smiled. “We have a few more contracts lined up. I don’t think we’ll be short on work soon.”

“That’s good for business, though I’d really like to find time to go get those rings.”

“I’d like to discuss more pressing details. Like, when are we getting married?”

“Are you in that much of a hurry?”

“I want to tie you down before you change your mind.”

“How romantic.”

“Yes. I know.” Brienne leaned over for a kiss, Nash accepting readily. As their mouths moved in graceful rhythm, the hunter suddenly awoke and bolted up as much as he could in his bound state.

“What the fuck is going o-…?” He had nothing else to say as Brienne, without even breaking the kiss with her now fiancee, thrust her fist across his right temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how wise it is to mention this but I've been dropping another chapter every time I get a subscription. It's basically a thank you to whoever was kind enough to subscribe, so thank you readers!


	12. Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why does Nash call Brienne 'Shrapnel' anyway?

 

****Name** **

 

Nash could tell something had been bothering the Captain for the last few days.

“What’s wrong?” she would ask her.

“I don’t know,” the Captain would reply. Nash figured she would just give her time.  

It was while she was making dinner one night about a week later that she understood what was drawing Brienne’s melancholy.

“Hey, Captain, do you want four or five eggs?” Nash asked her.

“Five,” the Captain responded, though there was a sigh at the end of the remark.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, let me know if you figure it out,” Nash told her, cracking eggs into the pan.

During dinner it became obvious that the Captain was aware what was bothering her but didn’t know how to reason with it. She shoveled eggs into her mouth and chewed slowly, brows furrowed in contemplation.

“What’s wrong?”

“Will you please stop asking me what’s wrong?” the Captain answered, glancing impatiently at Nash.

“Just tell me, won’t you?” Nash said. The Captain looked away in embarrassment. Nash had to pry a little more before the Captain sheepishly responded.

“You don’t call me by my name anymore.” The Captain seemed ashamed by such an odd admission.

“I’m afraid I have to call you Captain. I might call you by your name in front of the others if I don’t,” she explained casually. “I almost called you Brienne on the bridge where everyone could hear so I’ve been making a concentrated effort to not use your name at all.”

“I’m not sure I like it when you call me Captain all the time,” Brienne admitted.

“Ah, I see,” Nash replied. “However, if I do it’s inevitable I’ll slip during an inopportune time.”

“I understand, Commander,” Brienne stated. Nash clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.  It was not anger but displeasure that elicited the response.

“Hmm…I see,” Nash remarked casually, feeling the burn of her pride. “Perhaps I can think of another name to call you.”

“That would be appreciated,” Brienne replied.

 

Over the course of a few days, Nash tested out several names, calling them to Brienne while they were alone in their quarters.

“How many eggs do you want, B-Cap?” she asked. Brienne glanced at her in a hard stare and shook her head with an adamant no.

 

“How does this look, girlfriend?” Nash questioned as she put on her new lab gear. Brienne shrugged.

“The clothes are suitable. I don’t need a reminder of who I am to you.”

 

“Hey, Master Blaster, please don’t leave your towels on the bathroom floor.”

“My apologies. And please don’t call me that.”

 

“What about Vrogas Ale?”

“For what? A name?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t get it.”

“Tall, blond and delicious.”

“That’s a no.”

 

“Captain Sexy?”

“Absolutely not.”

 

“Killer?”

“Nope.”

 

“Chrome.”

“Nah.”

 

“Cheese.”

“NO!”

 

By the end of the week Nash was frustrated.

“I feel like I’m getting shot down here. If you want me to call you something maybe you should suggest it,” Nash told Brienne.

“I don’t have the imagination for that,” Brienne replied, sipping her tea.

“You’re putting the onus on me? You’re the one that doesn’t want me calling you Captain.”

“You could just call me Brienne. I like the way you say my name.”

“We’ve been over this. Do you want the crew to know your name too? Do you want them calling you Brienne?”

“No, I don’t want any chance of my past catching up to me. Also, I want my name to be exclusively your right.”

“Well, I’m in a very exclusive club then.”

“You’re currently the only member.”

“Well then, give me something to work with. I will call you Brienne in the comfort of our quarters but there’s fifty other people around that you don’t want me calling you Captain in front of. What do you want me to say?” Nash asked in frustration. Brienne leaned back and looked thoughtfully up to the ceiling.

“Hmm…how about Warrior?” she asked. Nash paused with a quirk to her brow.

“Warrior?”

“Yeah. Or Survivor.”

“You’re just applying adjectives to how you visualize yourself.”

“Are you saying they don’t fit who I am?”

“No. Quite frankly they might be too closely associated to you. It somehow takes the fun out of a name.”

“Fine,” Brienne huffed. “Perhaps this nickname is a poor idea.”  

Nash sighed heavily, not wanting to agree.

 

The _Nautilus_  had been outfitted with a private medical suite that the Captain finally had a reason to use four months after it’s purchase. It was a private chamber with a bacta tank, a supply of robotic extensions and a security field to guard against unwanted guests. A few days after the failed nickname brainstorming session, the Captain found herself leaning over the medical bed, pants pooled around her ankles, while Nash took a pair of tweezers and pulled out various flecks of metal embedded in her tissue.

“This is a lot of buckshot,” Nash remarked while she plucked out a tiny, round metal ball from her glute.

“Luckily, the chrome took most of the…hnng…hits,” Brienne replied, feeling the pain of the tweezers pinpointed specifically in her ass.

“I’m not sure I’m going to get another elemental discovery out of it this time,” Nash laughed.

“I would think not.” Brienne managed to smile despite the sharp strain of another fleck being pulled out of her skin. “I doubt Plianth raiders have any advanced science in their low grade shotguns.”

“They still use metal for ammo,” Nash answered, shaking her head in disbelief. “How does a culture not have laser or plasma technology in this day and age?”

“Well, iron is plentiful and…ungh…easy to use.”

“There. Last one,” Nash replied as she dropped the ballbearing in a metal dish with a tiny _clink_  and then used the dermal regenerator to close up the tissue. As she did so she chuckled to herself, the Captain hearing it behind her.

“Are you laughing about my misfortune?” she asked Nash with a tease.

“A little,” Nash responded.

“Does this remind you of the last time you pulled shrapnel from me?”

“A magnet. That’s what you are,” Nash smirked. “Okay, you can pull up your pants now.”  

Brienne turned around and dragged her pants up her legs. Nash smiled and gave her a slap on her butt to which the Captain shook her head at her but with an inviting look in her eye.

“You’re going to be tender for a few days. Try not to sit too much,” Nash told her as she leaned up against the bed and looked up into the Captain’s eyes provocatively.

“I’ll let my girlfriend know she’s limited to her physical contact,” Brienne answered with an uptick to her mouth.

“Well, let’s not overreact,” Nash retorted smugly. Brienne gave her a smile before covering it with her helmet. She strode over to the door, opening it before Nash had a sudden realization.

“Hey, Shrapnel Magnet!” Nash called to her. Brienne stopped, turning to her patiently. “Don’t be late for dinner.”

“Of course,” she answered. Nash could hear the amusement in her tone. Brienne disappeared beyond the door and Nash felt lifted at finally having a name to call her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	13. Conference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick overview of Captain Phasma's future.

****Conference** **

 

Who took all the powdered donuts?” Willis asked as he looked around at everyone’s plates.

“Oh, sorry,” York answered, quickly stuffing one of them in her mouth. Willis came over and grabbed one of the three powdered donuts from off her plate, transferring it to his.

“Why can’t you eat chocolate like everyone else?” he sighed.

“Why can’t _you_?” she demanded. Captain Phasma entered the room and everyone stood until she made her way to the head of the conference table, supplanting herself in the chair next to Nash.

“Lets make this quick,” she said. She said that every damned week. Same exact tone.

“Nothing to note,” York quickly said, raising her hand in the air.

“Really?” Nash asked. “What about the engine diagnostics on Friday?”

“This ship is only eight years old. They’re running like Naboo valley elk. Nice and smooth.”

“What about you, Willis,” Nash asked. “How’s the _Armada_ holding up?”

“Nothing out of routine this week. After Basta took Squad Three for planet side training there has been nothing to report.”

“When do they come back?”

“Day after tomorrow. I gotta admit, the kid’s really come into his own. I remember when he was just a green Resistance squirt with the tiniest muscles around his skinny little arms,” Willis reminisced.

“That’s enough,” the Captain replied. “I remember when you were just a Battla soldier who didn’t say a whole lot.”

Willis shrugged. “I’m just proud of the kid. That’s all.”

“Zee,” Nash stated. “Anything from tech?”

“Yeah, we’re going to have to shut the consoles down at midnight tonight when I upgrade the security drives but other than that, all is well in the land of tech,” Zee answered.

“What about droid upkeep? Corrin?”

“Droids are functioning at 99% efficiency. Except for the replacement leg on Double-8, there have been no incidents.”

“Science division?” the Captain asked. Nash shook her head.

“After completing the quad laser cannon and integrating it to both ships, we’ve mostly been working on keeping up with the biogel pack manufacturing. We’ve been getting orders all over the galaxy. We may have to outsource, in fact,” Nash answered.

“Do you know how to get that arranged?” the Captain questioned.

“No, but I bet we can figure it out.”

“Good. I want to hear an update by next week.”

“Of course.”

“Tobin, anything to add from accounting?” the Captain said. All heads turned to Tobin who sat the furthest from the Captain.

“For once, I do,” he said rather ambiguously. Nash raised a brow.

“Oh? Please continue.”

“Well, as we’re all aware, the doctor and her staff have recently made the news after creating the galaxy’s first biological defense system. We all knew there would be some money to be made from it…”

“Hold up!” York declared, staring wide-eyed at Tobin. “Are you saying we’re rich?”

“Let me finish,” Tobin continued. “I figured the pooling of such assets would be best increased by dumping all of it into a stock that required the science behind the gelpacks.”

“It sounds like you’re saying we’re rich,” Willis surmised, his eyes narrowing.

“Since gel packs require a mass of Andorrian ivy and Anthum plastics, I invested heavily in their stocks.”

“Holy shit!”Zee exclaimed. “I think we might be rich!”

“But there’s also been a surge in the need for those items, making them more valuable.”

“Say it, Tobin!” Corrin cried in excitement. “Say we’re rich.”

“No, Corrin,” Tobin replied calmly. “I’m not saying we’re rich. I’m saying we’re stupidly, ugly, filthy rich.”

There was a three second pause before everyone but Nash and the Captain jumped out of their seats, high-fiving each other and dancing on their chairs.

“How rich?” the Captain asked. She was sitting tall in her seat, clearly quite interested.

“There are planets that don’t gross in a year what CPMG did last month. We’re currently sitting at number sixteen of the top grossing business’ in the galaxy. With all assets combined CPMG is sitting at a cool fourteen point two trillion credits.”

“Holy shhhh…” the Captain murmured under her helmet.

 

 

“What are we going to do with all that money?” Nash asked Brienne that night over dinner.

“I honestly can’t quite wrap my head around it. I mean, you and I have always commanded high salaries but even after CPMG prospered I never imagined we would ever be this wealthy.”

“Well, Tobin was patient enough to go over it with me. This seems legit.”

“I’m not questioning it’s legitimacy. I’m questioning our rationale. Money like that can slip away just as fast as it came.”

“That’s true. Though with the orders coming in and since we hold the patent for the next ten years, it’s possible that we might see money like this for a while.”

“Let’s not bet on the biggest tauntaun,” Brienne remarked.

“I never understood that idiom. Why wouldn’t you bet on the biggest tauntaun?”

“You’ve clearly never been to a tauntaun race.”

“Why don’t we wait a few months and see where this goes. In the meantime, the crew knows nothing about it. But if it turns out to be legit, I want to give a raise to my staff who all dedicated three years to improving and perfecting the science.”

“I want to give a giant raise to Tobin who had the foresight to cycle the money back into the science.”

“Aren’t you glad I told you to hire an accountant?” Nash laughed.

“Aren’t you glad I told you to hire Tobin?” Brienne shot back with a smile.

“I can’t believe it was eight years ago you came and took me away from Kaja,” Nash said, sidling herself onto Brienne’s lap. “Seems like only yesterday.”

“You asked me to. I had no choice,” Brienne smiled. Nash pretended to be offended, accepting a kiss as token of forgiveness.

 

Months passed and the money kept coming. The crew caught wind of the wealth after reports floated in from sources all over the galaxy. Holofeeds and other news outlets constantly reported about the biogel packs and their inflating costs and demands. The Captain made a formal announcement to the ships that she was waiting on more information before distributing raises based on merit. Those working directly on the biogel project would be receiving the highest percentages.  When detailed, most everyone agreed the distributions were fair.

Nash realized that they had the money to literally build their own factory. She consulted some friends from Kaja who helped her retain the licenses and builders to make the factory on a planet that was equidistant from both Andor and Anthum Prime. The planet was called Veriss. It was a planet with all matter of land, from sandy beaches to high mountains, sprawling valleys and fertile grasslands. It housed numerous types of vegetation and animals and was inhabited only by a few settlers due to it’s relative concealment by rivers of large meteor fields. Nash retained the rights to the planet, giddy as she realized CPMG now owned a natural satellite of the system’s star.

“We can rename the planet, you know,” Nash told Brienne.

“What would you want to name it?” Brienne asked.

“I don’t know. I’d have to think about it,” Nash replied.

 

The factory was made shortly after, drawing in an influx of migrants and so an entire town had to be made and named.

“Shit,” Brienne said.

“What?” Nash asked.

“This is how Parnassos died,” she replied, eyes wide in awareness.

“We’re making gelpacks, not nuclear weapons. We’re literally making the opposite of what destroyed Parnassos,” Nash assured.

“I’ve become what I hated,” Brienne answered.

“You’ve destroyed the things you hate. Don’t try to find something else to hate and don’t let that thing be you,” Nash calmly pleaded. Brienne turned to her and realizing she was a long way from who she was on Parnassos, she kissed her wife.

 

The factory profited. The town profited. The planet profited. The Captain and her wife profited most of all. The raises were distributed which gained the attention of even bigger and better contracts which made them buy another ship of mercenaries until two years passed and the Captain obtained a fleet.

“Shit,” Brienne said.

“What?” Nash asked.

“This is how the First Order was created,” she replied.

“We’re not looking to instill a government. We’re literally jumping from planet to planet making sure there are no hostile governments insidiously encroaching on the galaxy,” Nash assured.

“I’ve become what I hated,” Brienne answered.

“What was it you hated?” Nash questioned.

“I can’t remember,” Brienne replied.

“Okay. We’ll take it slower from now on,” Nash responded, hugging Brienne from beneath her cape as they stared out the massive window of their newly purchased star destroyer.

 

 

“General Skelli,” the Captain asked as she sat at the head of the table in the conference room aboard the _Vindicator _,__ the flagship star destroyer of her thirty ship fleet. “Anything to add from finance?”

“For once, I do,” Tobin answered. The Captain sat up higher in her seat. It was seven years ago that Tobin Skelli had said those exact words and it had brought her to this very moment, sitting in a meeting with thirty-two other officers, overseeing the empire she and Nash had accidentally created.

“My investigators have discovered that the shipments from Andor are not being raided by a band of thieves. Rather, it was stolen by spies inside the government itself. In short, we were taken by a bunch of bureaucrats,” Tobin relayed. The Captain turned to Nash who still sat by her side. She was fifty-two years old now but just as lovely as ever. Her purple eyes still shined, her amber hair now streaked with long lines of silver.

“What shall we do, General Lyoka?” the Captain asked.

“Well, Grand General,” Nash answered. “It sounds like war.”

“Indeed, it does,” the Captain responded. It had been a while since she had engaged in combat. In her excitement, her hand went instinctively to the silverstaff hanging on her belt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting two chapters this time. This one is filler for several other chapters illustrating how Captain Phasma came to own a planet. The next one needed this background.


	14. Vowed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Captain goes all sentimental on Nash causing her chief financial officer's blood pressure to shoot through the roof.

****Vowed** **

 

Tobin Skelli, chief financial director of the CPMG, went to his office on a morning like most and jumped when he opened the door to find Captain Phasma already inside.

“Captain!” he exclaimed in surprise.

“Close the door, Tobin,” the Captain told him. He obeyed with a perplexed look. In the ten years he had worked in Captain Phasma’s enterprise, he could not recall one moment she had ever been in his office.

“Is this about the star destroyer?” he asked. “I informed Dr. Lyoka we should wait a few months before ordering one. The price of Krighton steel is bound to deflate by then.”

“No, this isn’t about the star destroyer,” the Captain replied, gently putting the framed picture of Tobin’s wife and daughter back on his desk. “I have something of a much more personal nature to ask of you.”

“If you’re going to ask me to smuggle a thermal reactor into the cooling plasma of an ion engine, I’m afraid you’re going to have to find someone else to do it,” Tobin said quite seriously. The Captain laughed a rare laugh and leaned up against his desk with folded arms. She was so much taller than him, it was nice that he didn’t have to arch his neck up so high.

“Why not? That would be quite the long con.”

“I’m still not versed in ion engines. I’d be electrocuted in minutes. Also, I have my family to worry about and I don’t need you killing me before my baby girl has grown up.”

“No, though I’m glad you brought it up. Do you remember that day when you came in to interview for your position?”

“Of course! Most people remember the day they meet Captain Phasma,” he replied. She nodded and looked away and he wondered if she was embarrassed by something.

“I hear you were on vacation recently.”

“Yes. Just got back from Farragal Six where my cousins live.”

“Nash tells me you were there for a wedding,” the Captain said. Tobin crooked his head at her. The Captain was not at all interested in small talk and it was especially odd for her to be displaying something akin to it now.

“Yes.”

“One you officiated?” the Captain again asked. Now Tobin was really confused.

“Yes.”

“So you’re ordained by galactic law?”

“Yes, otherwise my cousin and his husband are going to be quite irate if their marriage was annulled.”

“That’s hardly an answer.”

“I’m a bureaucrat. I made sure to go through all the official channels,” he responded emphatically. The Captain again nodded her head.

“Then I need you to officiate again.”

“Certainly, though I know you’re well aware that you, as Captain of this ship, are a legal officiant.”

“Since I presided over your wedding, yes, I’m quite aware.”

“Just making sure,” Tobin remarked. “So…whose wedding do you need me to officiate?”

“Mine,” the Captain declared. Tobin jolted in surprise, his mouth dropping open.

“Yours?” he managed to stutter after a few lengthy seconds.

“Yes, though it’s more like renewing vows, not an actual wedding.”

“Well, I-I-I-…This…Uhhh….” Tobin had a million questions but was unable to voice any of them.

“And don’t tell Nash. It’s supposed to be a surprise.”

“Right, of course not,” Tobin sputtered after managing to compose himself. “When would you like to renew your vows?”

“On the third day of the ninth month,” she answered. Tobin brought out his datapad and looked on his calendar.

“That’s in ten days,” he said mostly to himself as he reserved the day on the calendar. “Here on the ship?”

“No, on Tarth. On the cliffs overlooking the beaches.”

“Ah, sounds nice.” he confirmed.

“We’ll be taking my personal shuttle there. It will be an all day trip, though I will bring Double-Eight so that he can take you back as Nash and I might spend a few days on our own. As I know you can keep a secret, I would like for you to not mention to anyone about this, especially your wife who works closely with mine.”

“I won’t be telling Ophelia,” Tobin assured. “May I ask, is this something that is too personal to be divulged in the future?”

“The likelihood of my wife telling everyone about it is extremely high. Just give her the chance to be the first to talk about it before making mention of it.”

“I certainly understand,” Tobin replied remembering how his own wife wanted to be the one to let people in on the news of their upcoming baby. “I’d like to mention how honored I am that you chose me to preside over your vow renewals.”

“Which brings me to my next point…” the Captain replied ominously. Tobin had a sinking feeling in his gut.

“I wasn’t your first choice?” he bravely asked.

“You were my only choice,” the Captain replied. Tobin didn’t know whether that was better or worse. “But that does not diminish the fact that I came to you. I believe you would have been asked regardless of your intimate knowledge.”

“Pardon?” Tobin questioned. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“We both know you know,” the Captain responded. Tobin felt the blood in his face heat up. It had been ten years and he had stayed quiet the entire time because he didn’t want the wrath of the most deadly soldier directed at him. By this point he had thought it would never come up. He was sure he was safe, believing the Captain either forgot about the incident or didn’t think he had ever figured it out.

“Kn-kn-know what?” Tobin stumbled. The Captain shook her head at him.

“You’re just as bad at lying as my wife once was.”

“I’m sorry, C-Captain,” Tobin swallowed hard, forcing his words to work by uttering them more slowly. “I just d-don’t know what you’re talking about.”  

The Captain sighed and stood up, her height so much more imposing now and Tobin subconsciously took a step back.

“You never told anyone. I trust you, Tobin,” she stated. Tobin still couldn’t breathe. The novelty that she knew possibly the whole time was daunting. That probably meant Nash Lyoka knew too. Tobin remained silent so the Captain continued explaining. “The reason this is beneficial is because the first time we were married our officiant was the mayor of the city she grew up in. She is officially married to Captain Phasma. This time, it will be different.”

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” Tobin asked. “It’s been so long I honestly don’t remember what you look like.”

“I’m told I have a memorable face,” the Captain responded.

“I can’t imagine you’ve been told that often…” he surmised.

“Tell me what you remember,” she encouraged. Tobin shook his head.

“I don’t recall. Perhaps blond hair? I could be wrong.”

“Tobin,” the Captain said exasperatedly. “Just tell me what you remember.” Her tone, though innocuous, was enough to make him quickly spill out everything he knew.

“Hair of short, white-gold. Dark blue piercing eyes. Sharp nose. Scar across the left cheek. A smaller one above your lip. Incredibly intimidating,” he spat out. Even the Captain seemed surprised.

“You have an excellent memory,” she told him.

“You have a memorable face,” he added.

“I’ll iron out the details. You just be ready for the day,” she said. Tobin nodded his head.

“Yes, sir.”

The Captain walked out of his office just as Tobin’s secretary was about to knock on his door. She stared up at the Captain in wide-eyed surprise as she brushed past her.

“What did the Captain want?” she asked in wonder as soon as she was gone. Tobin just shook his head dismissively.

 

 

Ten days later and Tobin was a mess. He had never been good at lying and keeping this secret from his other boss was unnerving at best. Luckily, he had nothing to lie about till the day they were to embark towards Tarth, the planet CPMG officially owned to house their other companies, including Lyoka Mining and Biofuel. The Captain talked Nash onto the shuttle under the pretense that they were going to Tarth to meet with a seller who had a star destroyer to offer. The Captain was going because she wanted to oversee the sale. Nash was going because she wanted to take a look at their large purchases. Tobin was going because he was head of the fiduciary division. Nash still had her questions that the Captain easily deflected but had Tobin on edge.

“Tell me again why York isn’t coming with us?” Nash asked. “We need an engineer if we’re seriously thinking about this purchase.”

“She’ll be meeting us there after the diagnostics,” the Captain responded with zero emotion. Tobin had no idea her lying skills were so honed. He wondered if the Captain had ever lied to him.

“The diagnostics can’t wait?” Nash asked.

“Apparently not.”

“What about Zee? Shouldn’t we have someone inspecting this thing?”

“We’re not buying it today, Nash,” the Captain explained. “We’re just meeting with the seller.”

“Still, if we’re going to consider it we should at least have someone to look over it. Which would take days,” Nash shrugged. “So, they’re just going to take it to Tarth?”

“That’s what they said,” the Captain replied impassively. Tobin could see why she was so good at deflecting answers. She was already aloof as it was and remaining so was nothing out of the ordinary.

“Hmm…I hope this is worth the trip,” Nash said. The Captain was silent. Tobin looked everywhere but at Nash. They would be there in an hour and it was starting to feel like a lifetime.

 

 

Once she realized she wouldn’t get any clarity from the Captain, Nash spent the remainder of the trip writing up her reports on the biogel pack manufacturing. It had grown into an enormous enterprise making ten times what the mercenary group was currently handling. Over the last few years she had continued to improve the functionality of her development and it was in more demand than ever. While she was busy, the Captain handed a datapad over to Tobin.

“These are the vows,” she told him. “Make sure you bring this with you.”

“Of course, Captain,” he replied, feeling a little shaky. He wasn’t nearly this nervous for his cousin’s wedding, but neither of them were his boss and both of them knew about the nuptials. He wasn’t sure how Nash would react once she found out there was no star destroyer to inspect. He never really thought of her as a sentimental person. But then again, he certainly didn’t think of the Captain that way, yet here they were…

The Captain went to go put on more formal clothing and came out wearing her usual business cloak. It was as fancy as Tobin was used to seeing her. The Captain urged Nash to do the same and she left but immediately came back looking flummoxed.

“I thought you said you brought my gray attire,” she asked the Captain.

“I thought you said it was too casual,” the Captain replied.

“What? I said I was thinking about upgrading my business clothing but I didn’t say it was too casual,” she remarked.

“Ah. My apologies,” was all the Captain said.

“So, that’s the only thing I have to wear then?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe I should just go in my lab gear.”

“No, Nash, I don’t want my wife going to an important business meeting in lab attire.”

“Why not? The dress you brought is much too fancy. It’s borderline inappropriate, in fact.”

“I don’t believe it is,” the Captain shrugged. “I would appreciate it if you wore that rather than your current clothes.” Nash gave her a hard look before rolling her eyes and turning back towards her chambers.

“All right, but I think I’ll look out of place,” she called over her shoulder. The Captain remained silent. Tobin was getting a glimpse of their day to day life and it seemed so ordinary that he was almost appalled. Nash was gone a few minutes before emerging again wearing a white, floor length, sleeveless dress with long trains of sheer silk and a plunging neckline.

“Are you sure this isn’t too much?” she asked the Captain.

“Yes,” the Captain responded. “It’s fine.”  

Nash turned to Tobin. “Tobin, what do you think? Too much?”  

Tobin swallowed hard. She looked immaculate.

“I believe that is an entirely appropriate dress for today’s occasion,” he answered. Nash quirked a brow and looked down at herself before resigning to the fact she was going to have to wear it. She walked over to her chair and glided in it, her dress making fine whishing sounds with every  movement. She took up her datapad and began writing again.

 

The Captain brought the shuttle down on top of the cliffs of Tarth. She landed it in the middle of the sprawling valleys just beyond the summit that overlooked the white sandy beaches of the exotic area. Nash was immediately confused.

“Are we in the flower valleys?” she asked. “Why aren’t we going to the city?”

“This is the coordinates I gave them,” the Captain stated as she picked up a few bags readied and perched near the currently descending plank.

“This is the place you told them to meet us?” Nash asked incredulously. “Why? Wouldn’t the CPMG tower in Veriss city have made more sense?”

“No,” the Captain said, offering no more information. She walked down and into the fields of knee high grasslands that were filled with flowers of every color. Nash looked to Tobin curiously but he simply shrugged his shoulders and followed the Captain.

“What in the world is going on?” he heard her say aloud.

 

The sun was high in the sky, the day was as beautiful as it could be, almost cloudless with minimal wind. Tobin trailed the Captain as she trudged through the flowers at a long-legged pace, marking a path for him and Nash to follow. She took them to the precipice of the cliffs before settling her bags down upon the thick grass and waiting for the others to approach. Now more than ever Nash was bewildered. She kept looking up to the sky, perhaps expecting to see a star destroyer outside the atmosphere or a shuttle coming to greet them.

“I have to admit it’s wonderfully beautiful out here,” she said as she came to a standing stop in front of them. “But I do not see how this would make a good meeting point.”

The Captain said nothing as she seemed to be busy arranging the bags, eventually bringing out a large blanket that she spread out across the grass where it was thinnest. Nash looked out over the cliffs and sighed dreamily, her trains of white silk flowing effervescently in the mild winds, her hands at her waist as she took in the majesty of the planet.

“Wow! You’ve shown me this place before but I’ve forgotten how spectacular it is,” she said, gazing out across the deep ocean. Tobin wondered when that was as he had never seen nor heard of this place from either of them. “We should have a picnic or something out here next time we c-…”  Nash turned around and gasped, bringing her hands up to her mouth in absolute shock. Tobin whipped his head in the direction she was facing and, despite knowing it was coming, could not contain his surprise either. The Captain had removed her helmet. She stood looking at Nash in deep reverence, one hand out holding a ring with a black band and a large, shiny purple gem embedded on it.

It had taken Tobin a surprisingly long time to figure out the tall woman he had met during the interview was actually the Captain, but after several months of wondering why he had never seen her again, he finally put two and two together and came to the conclusion he had seen something he wasn’t supposed to on that fateful day. Once the revelation crossed him, all her actions then made sense. She seemed alarmed at first to see him in the hall, which he took to be due to a stranger perusing the ship unaccompanied, and then shown him all the fascinating vehicles on board the ship with the same glint of excitement he had in his own eyes. He remembered thinking she was beautiful even if she was marked by battle scars. Ten years later he would see that face again. She was in her forties by now, her hair was a little more dull than the highlighted gold he recalled but her eyes were just as blue and her features just as sharp. The scar across her cheek was barely noticeable anymore. She was still undeniably stunning.

Nash seemed frozen into place, the dawning in her eyes that none of this was for the purchase of a star destroyer as clear as the day on Tarth. Tobin could see her chest heaving mercilessly beneath the white dress, her breath taken completely away.

“Nash,” the Captain began. Tobin hadn’t heard her real voice in a decade. It was surprisingly more melodic than he remembered. “My wife, my partner. Fifteen years ago on this day you made me yours. Will you marry me again?”  

Tears slipped down Nash’s cheeks as she nodded her head yes and came to the Captain with her hands still covering her mouth.

“Br-…Shrapnel,” she gasped. “Yes, of course.” She brushed her tear moist hands along her white dress and reached up to the Captain’s face, bringing her down to lean her forehead against her own. There was a moment when Tobin was uncomfortable as Nash and the Captain hugged tenderly, Nash clearly lost within, but then she pulled out of the Captain’s arms and directed her gaze to Tobin.

“Did you know about this?” she asked him. He nodded.

“Well, the vow renewal, yes. All this…” He waved his hand towards the ocean and the valley of flowers. “Not at all.” Nash laughed and slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“How did you hide this from me? How did you keep Ophelia from telling?”

“She doesn’t know yet,” he replied. Nash laughed again.

Tobin directed the Captain and Nash to stand facing each other, hands in hands as he began the ceremony. The Captain stood, happily staring down into her wife’s face. Nash was giddy with excitement, her legs would not stop bouncing, her hands caressed the Captain’s incessantly, the smile on her face and her lilac colored eyes shone like the sun. Tobin began to read off the datapad the Captain had given him earlier.

“Fifteen years ago, on this day, the third day of the ninth month, the life of a monster was changed. There was never a woman more daring, nor more suited to strengthen the devil by softening her heart.”

“You’re not a devil,” Nash chastised with a tease.

“Not anymore,” the Captain replied. Tobin went on.

“From the poetic soul of the beautiful siren, the monster fell helpless at her feet, repeatedly making mistakes that would almost ruin her chance at real devotion. With the patience of a saint, the angel tamed the beast. Twelve years of marriage has not quelled the adoration. Time has proven to strengthen the bonds.”

“No more monster talk,” Nash said.

“No more. I promise,” the Captain smiled.

“Captain, you have a vow you wish to cite?” Tobin asked, guided by the datapad in his hand.

“Nash, from the moment you pulled the shrapnel from my side, no concern of anesthesia or pain relievers, I knew you understood me, that you would be the one I couldn’t leave. You have power over me for eternity. My adoration of you has been ceaseless, your brilliance and strength drew me and I will forever worship you,” Brienne recited sincerely. Tears trickled down Nash’s cheeks as she listened to Brienne in indisputable love.

“Do you-…” Tobin began.

“Hold on, Tobin,” Nash said. She looked up to Brienne with intense sincerity. “As you know I wanted you while you floated on the verge of life in a bacta tank for five days…” Tobin wasn’t sure why that made the Captain choke back a laugh. “And that I needed you fifteen years ago on this day when I thought I’d never see you again. But I desperately loved you when you let me fly. I love your daring. I love your courage. I love your laugh. I love your face. You are the strongest, most ruthless, beautiful person I’ve ever known. Everyday I feel lucky to spend it with you,” Nash finished. The Captain swallowed the lump in her throat, staring hard at her wife in affection. Nash nodded to Tobin who went back to the datapad.

“Do you, Nash Terron Lyoka take Brienne Ta-…” Tobin paused in surprise before clearing his throat and returning back to the datapad. The action was not lost on the wives. “Uh, take Brienne…Tarth to hold and to cherish, through sickness and health, or comatose…” He was surprised to hear Nash laugh. “And do you promise to uphold your part of the team, to remain faithful and patient and to return for her when the perils strike?”

“I do,” Nash declared, looking admirably into the Captain’s eyes.

“And do you, Brienne Tarth, take Nash Terron Lyoka to hold and to cherish, through sickness and health and promise to uphold your part, to fly her around in your TIE fighter…?” Tobin trailed off questionably as he read. Nash laughed loudly.

“You did put that in there!” she exclaimed. The Captain nodded with a wide grin. Tobin went on.

“And to remain faithful and patient and to return for her when the perils strike?”

“I do,” the Captain replied.

“As a symbol of your love, you may place the rings,” Tobin said.

“I don’t have one to give,” Nash replied, looking to the Captain. Brienne smirked and pulled out a black band from her pocket and gave it to Nash. Nash quickly inspected it in astonishment knowing exactly what it was.

“Palomonium marble…? How did y-…?”

“Nabor Mishu,” the Captain remarked. Nash laughed gleefully. Brienne placed the black banded ring with the purple gem on Nash’s ring finger then Nash did the same to the plain black band on Brienne’s.

“Then by the power vested to me by the galactic marital council, I do hereby pronounce you married by the scripture of the law.”

Without a cue, Nash came to the Captain, who reached out for her and Tobin witnessed them come together in a kiss that was equally as gentle as it was rushed. The beautiful doctor and the beautiful Captain captured each others mouths like they had been practicing for fifteen years, seemingly as organic an action as it was meant to be, but brimming with passion. Tobin had a wonderful relationship with his wife who he was quite madly in love with but even he wasn’t sure if he and his wife had the same natural cadence the Captain and the doctor did when locked in an impassioned embrace. He thought how ridiculously gorgeous the two of them were together and no one knew but him. To his utter astonishment, after several seconds of embracing, he was quite shocked when, without breaking their kiss, Nash jumped into Brienne’s arms, wrapping her legs around her waist, her body now situated higher and Brienne had to arch her neck to continue. Nash, in her wild amorousness, held Brienne’s face in her delicate hands while caressing the Captain’s mouth with her lips and tongue. Tobin averted his eyes and walked towards the cliff, noting the beauty of the ocean.

Tobin bravely turned around after a minute to see the Captain still holding the doctor in her arms. Nash had her forehead resting on Brienne’s, quietly whispering something to her, placing light kisses along her mouth and face. The Captain certainly didn’t seem to mind. Tobin rolled his eyes and looked back over the cliffs.

 

The Captain and the doctor decided to stay on Tarth a little longer so the Captain told Double-eight to take Tobin back to the Nautilus and come back for them in two days. He had no idea where they were going to go since there wasn’t anything but flowers, beaches and oceans for many miles around but they seemed to have their mind set on something and Tobin figured if anyone knew what they were doing out in the middle of nowhere, it was the Captain.

He had no idea what to tell his wife when she greeted him in their quarters. His daughter came and sat on his lap, showing him her drawings she had done in school that day. When asked how his day was, Tobin shrugged and said it was fine.

Two days later the Captain and the doctor came back. Nash looked even more tanned than her natural caramel skin tone and she showed her ring off to everybody who noticed. The Captain had nothing to say about their absence but Nash told anyone and everybody who would listen. It was then known by the crew that Tobin had been apart of the Captain’s plan and there was an interminable slew of questions, but he dodged them all by telling them he simply read off a datapad. He never once mentioned that the Captain did not wear her helmet and luckily, that was the one question no one ever asked. Even his wife hadn’t fathomed to ask him once she had heard what he had been up to on the third day of the ninth month. His secret was safe again, this time mountainous in it’s form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for subscribing!


	15. Fuck Off, Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben Solo is a poor wingman.

****Fuck Off, Ben** **

 

Kylo Ren was on a rampage. That fiendish devil, General Armitage Hux, had been more than a thorn in his side for the past year. The nerve of that man to report to Supreme Leader Snoke about the over-exaggerated details of his failure to find Luke Skywalker’s hidden location. Kylo stomped down the halls of the _Finalizer_ towards the quarters of the only person who could possibly understand his wrath. He had given Brienne no time to respond to his knock when he punched in his override code and entered her quarters unannounced.

“Brienne!” he shouted into the darkness of the room after pulling off his helmet. It didn’t occur to him to wonder why, at five in the afternoon, her lights were off.

“Fuck off, Ben!” he heard her shout back in anger from the direction of her bedroom. He did the opposite, now mad at her for being pissed at him.

“That fuckwad Hux is a shit-eating shithead!” Ben expressed irately as he trounced towards her bedroom. “And why can’t you give me one fucking second to sympathize with the bullshit I just had t-…”

He staggered back in complete astonishment as he entered her room, coming upon her lying face up and naked in her own bed, arms and legs wrapped around another. Major General Lannis James stared back at him in a look of pure annoyance, hovering over Brienne in close proximity that suggested he was still quite coupled to her and waiting for Ben to get the hell out before resuming his previous exercise.

“Oh…” Ben managed to utter, totally lost for proper etiquette when interrupting these sorts of private matters. “I-I didn’t kn-…”

“FUCK OFF, BEN!” Brienne shouted, garnering a smirk from Lannis. Ben turned on his heel and ran out of her quarters. He would successfully avoid Major General Lannis James for another six weeks until they bumped into each other on board the _Invictus_  while Brienne recovered in a bacta tank.

 

 

It was obvious the soldier from Battla was just Brienne masquerading as some nobody warrior rising to the call of war. Kylo Ren knew it the moment he saw battle footage of ‘the Captain’. She couldn’t even think up a more unique moniker. Brienne had no imagination.

It took minimal effort on his part to reach her through a subspace transceiver.

“Ben,” she answered, voice masked by her vocoder. He was not at all surprised she guessed he was the one calling.

“Brienne,” he responded neutrally, also vocoder masked voice. “I knew you weren’t dead.”

“Of course you knew. Nothing can kill me.”

“I could have. But I didn’t. I should have now that you’ve become the First Order’s strongest opposition.”

“You understand my reasons.”

“Do I? How long have you been on Battla?”

“A week after I saw you last. Right after the _Supremacy_  was destroyed.”

“After you killed Snoke and Hux.”

“You’re welcome.”

He continued, ignoring her statement. “So about a year, huh?”

“Yes. A little over a year.” Their conversation held little animosity, so naturally she would pose the following question in a sincere gesture. “How have you been?”

“Eh, okay, I guess,” he answered. “It’s hard commanding an empire.”

“So I hear. How’s your training going? I’m not sorry I killed Snoke but I do feel bad about stunting your training.”

“Could be worse. I saw some old holofeeds of my grandfather. I was able to extrapolate a few lessons just by watching them. I heard you took out an entire squadron the other day.”

“Yeah. Your storm troopers could use a better commander. Their discipline is severely lacking.”

“While I currently don’t have the best commander, at least I now have a loyal one.”

 

They continued their talks like this for months. He would call her on her commlink, she would respond like an old friend, and then they would sign off and send troops to decimate each other’s armies in the following weeks. War was never personal. When they spoke it was always civil. She never brought up the subject of his mother and he never got angry about her disloyalty. He did not want to lose the one person he felt comfortable talking to, and to lose her would cut him off from every single person in the galaxy. It would be exponentially more lonely without her, like that first year as Supreme Leader had been.

There came a day when he called her on her commlink and got no response. He left it for five minutes before calling her again. He could tell by the clicking that her comm was on and she was simply not answering him. He called her again, three times in succession, growing more upset with each blatant disregard for his call. Finally, after the fourth consecutive try, he heard her voice.

“Fuck off, Ben,” she said harshly. He was thrown off guard by her audacity.

“What the hell, Brienne! Why are you ignoring me?”

“I’m busy!” she answered with a breathlessness to her that made him think she was sprinting across a beach of knee high water. “Call you back in twenty!”

“Make it thirty!” Ben heard a man’s deep booming voice resonate. It could only be made by someone big. Bigger maybe than Brienne. Who probably had a penis the size of Ben’s arm.  

Ben threw his comm at the wall in a jealous rage. It shattered upon impact, now unable to signal Brienne’s return call.

He was not jealous of him. He was jealous of her. Ben struggled to find anyone to confide in, to share emotional intimacy with. It troubled him that his only friend had other friends.

 

After a ten year sentence in the New Republic maximum security penal colony, Kylo Ren was released due to the influence of his late mother. Even posthumously, she had power. He had nowhere to go and only one person he could call.

He was pretty sure that Dr. Nash Lyoka opposed his temporary arrangement on board the _Nautilus _,__  but as soon as his shuttle landed in the dock, the Captain’s wife showed him nothing but kindness and hospitality. He regretted not having really gotten to know her when they were both stationed on _Starkiller._  The only real encounter he could remember was the time Brienne had sent him to the medical ward with paralysis after he had Forced razor blades under her chrome. The fact that Brienne was so enamoured with her made him realize he had missed the opportunity to make an acquaintance of the doctor and to understand the relationship between them when it was budding on _Starkiller._  

With Brienne’s help Ben began to make progress reintegrating into civilian life, stifling his temper and learning to let go of past indiscretions. After all, he was not angry at Brienne for killing him then carrying him back to his mother. He could be a forgiving person.

Even the crew of the _Nautilus_  seemed to warm to him after a few months. They didn’t turn and flee when they saw him walking the halls anymore. Some of them even made polite conversation. That accountant guy and his scientist wife were awfully nice to him at dinner whenever he was forced to attend. He didn’t have to go often, only obligated when Dr. Lyoka strongly insisted the Captain attend as well. He sensed Dr. Lyoka was annoyed by his presence in the officers’ dining hall but she did well to mask it to everyone around her, knowing he was the Captain’s buffer.

Kylo Ren became more comfortable on board the _Nautilus_. He fell into the same informality he only shared with Captain Phasma. He could tell her anything and she did not judge him. He loved to spar with her. It was the only time he felt alive. She was the only person that could give him that, and so he was quite irked one morning when she did not show up during their usual sparring time. He waited a grand total of one minute and twenty-two seconds before stomping towards her quarters in irritation. Brienne demanded punctuality from everyone, even herself. There better be a damned good reason she was held up.

He knocked on her door, receiving no answer. Characteristically thoughtless, Kylo Ren and his blatant abuse of the Force aided him in commanding the door open. He strode in with hunched shoulders and fisted gloves. He could hear muted voices in the next room. One of them was definitely Brienne, the other probably Dr. Lyoka. It didn’t occur to him that though there were voices, no words were actually being said.

“Brienne!” he shouted. The sounds stopped and was immediately followed by Brienne shouting back.

“Fuck off, Ben!” The threat in her voice indicated she was mad enough to tear off the head of a wampa with her bare hands. He instantly froze, having only a step to make before turning the corner into what he knew to be their bedroom. At this point, her words had given him a Pavlovian response. There was a moment of silence before he answered.

“Are…are you h-…?”

“I’m fucking my wife, Ben! So…FUCK OFF!” Brienne yelled. In response, Ben stomped his foot like a child and turned on his heel, grumbling as he made his exit out of their quarters.

 

“Uh, you’re ‘fucking’ your wife?” Nash asked in disbelief the moment she heard the door slide shut behind Kylo Ren.

“Am I wrong?” Brienne responded, resuming her movements from before she was so rudely interrupted. She could feel the neural fabricator connecting her with Nash’s wavering, sliding into a cool down. She doubled down on her efforts, not wanting to lose what was going to be a nice, strong climax.

“No, but those are not words I would have thought you would yell to another person,” Nash answered, confused that Brienne did not seem as disturbed by Kylo Ren’s actions as she was.

“Don’t think about it. He does that all the time.”

“He’s done this before?” Nash exclaimed incredulously.

“Can we talk about this later?” Brienne asked, her voice hoarse and low. “Maybe in about two minutes?”

“I think I’m done,” Nash stated, pushing Brienne off of her. Brienne slumped over and Nash got up out of bed, heading to the bathroom in an ill-tempered stumble. Brienne flopped back on her pillow and removed the neural fabricator off her temple. In exasperation, she threw it somewhere across the room.

Fifteen minutes later she met Ben in one of the training rooms. Four minutes after that, Ben was in medbay grumbling about the silverstaff pierced through his leg.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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